So what do you think about the Fed Cup coming to Everett?
The Fed Cup is women’s tennis’ biggest international competition, and on Friday and Saturday it’s happening at Angel of the Winds Arena. The United States is facing Latvia in a qualifier, with the winner advancing to the Fed Cup Finals.
This is the first time Everett has ever hosted a Fed Cup match, as well as the first time (as far as I’m aware) tennis has ever been played at Angel of the Winds Arena since the building opened in 2003. Which means we’re getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the best American women’s tennis players on offer.
The U.S. team named five players to its roster: Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin, Alison Riske, Coco Gauff and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. And this is a strong U.S. team.
The headliner, of course, is Williams, who was the first player announced as a team member. Williams, quite frankly, is the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. Williams has won 23 grand slams, which is the most by any player, man or woman, in the open era and just one short of Margaret Court’s record of 24. She’s transcended her sport, becoming a cultural icon on top of being a tennis great. She may be 38 years old and she may not have won a major since the 2017 Australian Open, but she’s still as good as anyone in the business, being ranked No. 9 in the world.
And Williams is hardly alone as a high-profile player on the U.S. team. Most notably, Sofia Kenin, who on Saturday joined the ranks of major tournament winners when she defeated Garbine Muguruza 4-6, 6-2., 6-2 to capture this year’s Australian Open title. Her Australian Open victory saw her zoom from No. 15 to No. 7 in the rankings, and at 21 years old she’s clearly a player on the rise. As the hottest player on tour, Kenin is a good bet to be one of the U.S.’s two singles players this weekend.
The rest of the team is solid, too. Riske, 29, is ranked No. 18 in the world. Gauff, still only 15 years old, has worked her way up to No. 51 in her quest to be the next transcendent tennis star. And Mattek-Sands, 34, gives the team a doubles specialist as she’s ranked No. 20 in doubles.
It will be interesting to see how U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi decides to deploy her players. Five players are a lot for a Fed Cup team, as the tie is a best-of-five, with two singles players — each playing twice — and a doubles team. That usually means a maximum of four players, and a team can get away with fielding just two if it wants, using its two singles players to form the doubles team.
The first two singles matches take place Friday night. The reverse singles matches begin Saturday afternoon, with the tie concluding with the doubles match Saturday night.
So what is your excitement level for the Fed Cup coming to Everett? Let yourself be heard here:
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