The tie between the USA and Poland will be missing big names like Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska this weekend when the two countries meet in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Team USA still features plenty of star power however with Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Coco Vandeweghe and Bethanie Mattek-Sands scheduled to participate.
Spot in World Group Playoffs Up For Grabs
There is plenty on-the-line this weekend when the USA hosts Poland in Fed Cup play. The winner of this tie advances to the World Group Playoffs in April to compete for a spot in the 2017 World Group. Team USA is seeking to get back to the World Group for the first time since 2015. Poland spent 2015 in the World Group, but fell back to Group II after losing a playoff to Switzerland last year.
Team USA are the heavy favorites to claim this weekend's tie with Poland missing their top player Agnieszka Radwanska. That leaves the Polish side with no player ranked better than 96th on the WTA Tour in singles. That title belongs to Magda Linette. The U.S. comes in with three of their four players ranked inside the top 50, and Mattek-Sands standing at 78th. Despite the apparent disparity in talent, U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez says her side cannot be complacent, "You try never to let your guard down. We have been on both ends. We’ve been the underdogs and have won and been the favorites and lost,” Fernandez said. “You know you have to take that seriously, especially in team competition."
United States Squad
Sloane Stephens has been drafted to open the tie for the USA on Saturday. Stephens will be played just her 6th rubber in Fed Cup play, and first since 2014. She is just 1-2 in singles play. The 22-year-old's confidence might be twitchy after her first round flop at the Australian Open. Stephens was upset in to the opening round by qualifier Qiang Wang. It sums up some of the perils of Sloane Stephens' early career. The week before, she was on top of the world when she won the title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. A few days later, she was a first round Grand Slam casualty.
Following Stephens, the U.S. turns to their most experienced player with Venus Williams set to battle in the second singles rubber. Venus has been a beast in Fed Cup play with a 21-4 record. That includes a 17-2 mark in singles competition. Venus returned to Fed Cup play last year for the first time since 2013 and won both her singles rubbers in helping lead the USA over Argentina in the World Group II quarterfinals. Like Stephens, Venus' confidence could be shaky with a pair of losses to start 2016.
Team USA should feel good about its chances if this tie does happen to need the doubles rubber to be meaningful. They can turn to a four-time doubles Grand Slam champion in Bethanie-Mattek Sands and a vastly improved Coco Vandeweghe, who teamed with Horia Tecau to make the mixed doubles final in Melbourne. Mattek-Sands will return to Fed Cup play for the first time since 2011. She is 5-6 all-time in this competition, but 3-0 in doubles. Vandeweghe has just four rubbers to her name with a 1-3 mark. The one win came in doubles last year against Argentina with Taylor Townsend as her partner.
Poland's Squad
There is no getting around it for Poland. This team lacks depth and experience in singles without either of the Radwanska sisters competing. Magda Linette has been placed in the opening singles rubber opposite of Sloane Stephens. The 23-year-old has six matches in Fed Cup play, but none since 2012. Her lone singles win came in 2011 against Luxembourg. Linette lost both her WTA level matches to start the season before dropping down to the ITF level this past week to play in Maui. She came through qualifying before losing in the second round.
Paula Kania fills the second singles spot as the 153rd ranked player on the WTA Tour. The 23-year-old also played Maui last week after missing out on qualifying both in Auckland and Melbourne. She made the quarterfinals where she was beaten by eventual champion Chritina McHale in straight sets. Kania has zero singles experience at the Fed Cup. Her lone participation has been in doubles with a 1-1 mark. She has not played Fed Cup since 2013.
Should the Polish team miraculously make it to the doubles rubber with something left on the line, they can at least call on experience. Playing Captain Klaudia Jans-Ignacik and Alicja Rosolska have a combined 61 rubbers between them in Fed Cup play. They are 41-19 combined in doubles action. Dating back to 2010, Jans-Ignacik and Rosolska have dropped four straight in doubles when teamed together.
On The Court
On paper, this screams mismatch. Team USA has the better talent and in most cases, better experience and success at the Fed Cup amongst their roster. Still, the matches are decided on the court and that means expectation and pressure. While the U.S. gets home court advantage, playing in Hawaii might not provide the raucous atmosphere they might find playing in the contiguous United States. Still, this tie would signal a colossal failure for American tennis if they lose to a Polish team without the Radwanskas.
In looking at the singles rubbers, even if nerves get to Stephens or even the veteran Venus Williams, one would expect the Americans to at least gain a split. Captain Mary Joe Fernandez also has the luxury to draft in the powerful Coco Vandeweghe into the reverse singles match-ups if she feels it would be better. Both Sloane Stephens and Venus Williams have the power that should bode well on the outdoor hard court surface in this tie. Stephens also brings a level of athleticism that is difficult to match when her game is on point.
In spite of the early troubles on tour for Stephens and Williams, both are vastly superior in quality to Linette and Kania who will have trouble matching the level both can bring to the court. There could be a hiccup for Stephens or Venus in dropping a set, but this tie should be straight forward in favor of the USA.
Prediction: USA beats Poland 3-0