Last year’s US Open champion Sloane Stephens battled past world number 122 Pauline Parmentier 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 in the Arena du Pays d’Aix in Aix en Provence in the first rubber match, but Kristina Mladenovic came back from one set down to beat Coco Vandeweghe 1-6 6-3 6-2 in the second match drawing France level to 1-1 at the end of the first day of the Fed Cup semifinal against the defending champions from the USA. Mladenovic ended Vandeweghe’s 13 match winning streak at this event.
Sloane Stephens came back from 2-5 down to draw level to 5-5 with a break-back in the ninth game but had to save five set points to win the first set 7-3 in the tie-break. The US player rallied from one break down in the eighth game to draw level to 4-4 and clinched the win with a break thanks to a forehand down the line on her first match point.
“That was a battle. She played really well. Being down is never fun. I played much better in the tie-break and got a lot of confidence from that. I was fighting to stay in the match and play some good tennis. My first Fed Cup win in two years feels awesome”, said Stephens.
In the second rubber match Vandeweghe dropped her serve in the first set, but she reeled off six consecutive games with three breaks in the second, fourth and sixth games to win the first set. Mladenovic broke in the second game of the second set to open up a 3-0 lead and won the last three games with another break in the eighth game to take the second set. The French player broke serve three times in the first, third and fifth games to become the first player to beat Vandeweghe in a Fed Cup match since 2015, when the US player lost to Paula Ormaechea in the World Group II first round match between the USA and Argentina.
