Italy captures second Fed Cup crown
Reggio Calabria, Italy (Sports Network) - Flavia Pennetta clinched Italy's second Fed Cup title on Sunday with a straight-set victory over American Melanie Oudin in the first of the day's reverse singles matches.
Pennetta posted a 7-5, 6-2 triumph to give Italy an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five tie.
Italy captured its first Fed Cup crown in 2006 with a victory over Belgium and lost in the title series to Russia in 2007.
The Americans, appearing in their first Fed Cup final since 2003, have not won the title since 2000.
Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone won singles matches on Saturday to give the Italians a commanding 2-0 lead. Pennetta secured the first point for the home country with a 6-3, 6-1 rout of Alexa Glatch before Schiavone followed with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 victory over Oudin.
Italy beat the United States in Fed Cup play for the first time in 10 all-time tries.
The Americans were playing without Serena and Venus Williams, who each decided against playing this weekend after concluding their 2009 campaigns in last week's Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar. Serena beat Venus for the title of the season-ending tournament.
11/08 07:46:44 ET
