ITF

18 ITFWORLD WINTER 2017 "I had a great time out there," Vandeweghe said. "I pretty much give it up to the Belarusian crowd as they brought some great atmosphere. I really relished that moment of having the crowd against me and firing myself up and believing in myself." Admittedly, Vandeweghe went into the final with little knowledge of her upcoming opponents, having never encountered the 78th-ranked Aryna Sabalenka or 87th-ranked Aliaksandra Sasnovich on a tennis court. "I don't know much about the Belarus team," said Vandeweghe, earlier in the week. "I feel like I'm coming in with wool over my eyes a little bit." But that turned out not to be a problem. Vandeweghe's vision was clear and her determination steadfast. On Saturday, she defeated Sasnovich 64 64, then on Sunday, took care of Sabalenka 76(5) 61. She then teamed with Shelby Rogers to post a 63 76(3) doubles win over Sabalenka and Sasnovich to clinch the title. The Belarusians nearly pushed the doubles into a third set when they led 5-2 in the second, and served for the set twice. Vandeweghe and Rogers, however, refused to be deterred. Once in the second-set tiebreaker, the USA won five of the final six points to clinch the title. If there was a player who went home disappointed from the Fed Cup final it would have to be Sloane Stephens. After missing nearly an entire year on tour, from the 2016 Olympics to 2017 Wimbledon, with a foot injury, Stephens soared during the summer, going on to unbelievably win her first Grand Slam title at the US Open. Stephens, however, wasn't able to ride the crest of the US Open win for the remainder of her season. She would arrive at Fed Cup without a win since Flushing Meadows and she would leave Minsk — her final official appearance of the year — having lost all six matches she played since becoming a Grand Slam champion. FED CUP BY BNP PARIBAS Team USA at the official dinner Belarusian No. 2 Aliaksandra Sasnovich

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