First Serve: April 19-25

Reading between the lines: TENNIS.com's Monday morning quarterback recaps last week's pro tennis action—and offers his reaction.

Last Week's Tournaments

It’s Italy’s to Lose
Italy shut out the United States in last year’s Fed Cup final, played on outdoor clay in Reggio Calabria. This time around, the surface and the supporters will be pro-American, but it would be a stunner if Mary Joe Fernandez’s crew came away victorious (provided, of course, that the Williamses don’t play). Italy is a model of consistency: They’ve reached four of the last five Fed Cup finals thanks to continued service—and great performances—from Flavia Pennetta, Francesca Schiavone and Roberta Vinci, who is undefeated in doubles play (15-0). Mara Santangelo and Sara Errani have also contributed admirably. Look for more of the same in November.
*
Breaking It Down
*Sunday’s Elena Dementieva-Melanie Oudin match opened with 10 consecutive service breaks. But looking at the numbers, the two didn’t serve all that badly. During this stretch (stench?), each woman double-faulted just twice, and each got at least 73 percent of her first serves in. Nope, it wasn't the serving; it was just bad tennis. Oudin and Dementieva combined for a staggering 51 unforced errors during this 10-game catastrophe. The quality improved thereafter, but not enough to deny a nomination for ugliest match of the year. (Its chief competition? The equally cringe-inducing Venus Williams-Li Na Australian Open quarterfinal.)

The Last Word
A hat tip to Chris Skelton, who, like me, thinks the doubles rubber in Fed Cup is unwisely placed at the end of the tie. Says Skelton: “Its current position renders it either utterly irrelevant…or excessively important.” I echo the latter point, which I neglected to mention in my piece: After four rounds of singles, it’s strange to me that a tie can be decided by a completely different mode of play. Anyways, that’s my final comment on Fed Cup until the final, a full six months away—can you feel the anticipation?

Ed McGrogan is an assistant editor for TENNIS.com.