Schiavone confident heading into Fed Cup final

Francesca Schiavone says it will be difficult for the Americans to match the energy and confidence of defending champion Italy who face the US in the Fed Cup final for the second-straight year.

"It's one more year and we have more experience," reigning French Open champion Schiavone said. "Our team is always complete with energy and confidence. That is our key and so we keep working on this."

The USA takes a commanding 9-1 overall record into Saturday's opening day matches at the San Diego Sports Arena, but this will be a vastly different squad than the ones that captured seven consecutive Fed Cup titles between 1976-1983.

With the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, skipping the 2010 event with injuries, the US is forced to send an inexperienced four-woman team to the World Group final which runs on the indoor hardcourts Saturday and Sunday. The Williams sisters also missed last year's event.

The Americans, who have won more Fed Cup titles than anyone else with 17, lead the series with Italy 9-1 overall but lost the last meeting in the 2009. Italy won the title for the second time in four years in Reggio Calabria last year, whitewashing the USA 5-0 in the final.

Italian captain Corrado Barazzutti has picked the same team as last year, with Schiavone joined by Flavia Pennetta and doubles pairing Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani. USA captain Marie Joe Fernandez has selected Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, doubles specialist Liezel Huber and debutant Coco Vandeweghe.

The 19-year-old Vandeweghe is ranked 114 in the world, around 100 places lower than Schiavone and Pennetta, her two likely opponents in San Diego if she plays.

Career

Both Schiavone and Pennetta each have more career singles wins (449 and 443) than Oudin, Huber and Vandeweghe combined. Oudin has won just 20 of 43 singles matches this season. Pennetta said they won't take the Americans lightly just because they have better world rankings. All four of the Italians are ranked higher than any of the US players. SAN DIEGO, California, Friday, AFP