-The matches start Saturday at 1 p.m. with Venus Williams (USA) vs. Arantxa Rus (NED). After that, it’s CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) vs. Richel Hogenkamp (NED). Williams is a seven-time Grand Slam champion. Vandeweghe is a 2017 US Open and Australian Open semifinalist and world No. 17.
On Sunday beginning at 1 p.m., here’s the line-up: Venus Williams (USA) vs. Richel Hogenkamp (NED); CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) vs. Arantxa Rus (NED). The doubles contest is: Serena Williams (USA) / Lauren Davis (USA) vs. Lesley Kerkhove (NED) / Demi Schuurs (NED)
-About the court: Earlier this week, Netherlands Coal Paul Haarhuis criticized the condition of the tennis court installed at the US Cellular Center, calling it one of the worst he’s seen. Here’s what USA Coach Kathy Rinaldi had to say when asked Friday if the condition of the court had improved over the past 48 hours:
Rinaldi: “Well, the court has improved a tremendous amount. Obviously when you come to an indoor facility, an indoor court, they have to put the court down. It’s totally normal to have some spots. That’s why we were putting the masking tape down.Being here a week early also is an advantage because they have time to make those adjustments. The court has gotten better and better. With any indoor court, you’re always going to have a few bounces here and there. Overall today the court played really well.”
In a follow-up question, Rinaldi asked she thought Haarhuis’ comment calling the court “the worst he’d ever seen” hyperbole.
Rinaldi: I can’t speak for him. Like I said, the court playing today is much better than it was the
first day. He probably might have said that the first day. They’ve gone above and beyond to try and help us and listen to the areas that needed work, and they’ve made the adjustments
-The winner of this matchup will advance to the Fed Cup Semifinals, April 21-22. Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with about 100 nations taking part each year. The United States leads all nations with 18 Fed Cup titles, the last coming just last year.