The first round of the Fed Cup was played this weekend. Italy played in Rimini, against the United States. It was a tough weekend for Italy. Sara won the opening match comfortably, 6-2, 6-1 against Jamie Hampton. But then both her and Roberta Vinci lost to Varvara Lepchenko, giving the USA a 2-1 lead. Vinci then toughed out a win over Hampton, and the tie went to a decisive doubles. Here Sara and Roby proved why they are #1 in the world, beating Huber/Lepchenko 6-2, 6-2 and clinching the win for Italy! “We wanted the win at all costs”, said Roberta after the match, “it’s a great satisfaction.” In the semifinal, to be played 20-21 april, Italy will play against the Czech Republic, on home soil again.

Next week, Sara will play the premium 5 tournament in Doha, Qatar. As 7th seed, she has a bye in the first round. In the second round she will play Timea Babos or Heidi El Tabakh. In doubles, Sara and Roberta are first seed and they also have a bye in the first round. You can check the singles draw here and the doubles draw here.