Italian Fed Cup captain Corrado Barazzutti says it’s his team’s Fed Cup tie to lose against the United States in Rimini. World No. 7 Sara Errani of Italy will open against Fed Cup rookie Jamie Hampton, while Roberto Vinci takes on another first-timer, Varvara Lepchenko.

“We’re confident, why not,” Barazzutti told FedCup.com. “We have very good players. We’re playing against a very good team but we’re confident to win this match. Looking at rankings, we’re favorites, so we’re here to win this match. The players know they must win and they have that pressure but this is normal for them. They play every day, and in other tournaments they play with pressure, so this time it’s the same, but I think they are very concentrated.”  
In other Fed Cup news, Marion Bartoli has withdrawn from France’s tie against Germany with the flu and will be replaced by Pauline Parmentier.