Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are no-shows for Staff USA on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals that begins Tuesday in Seville, Spain however that will not matter.
Regardless of not having the 2 Palm Seaside County stars, USA nonetheless is stacked with a largely modified lineup from the one which whipped Austria 4-0 on the Delray Seaside Tennis Heart in April within the first stage.
Gauff, the reigning U.S. Open champion from Delray Seaside, and Pegula, of Boca Raton, spearheaded the Austrian sweep on their residence turf.
The brand new quintet options two previous Grand Slam champions and a Grand Slam Finalist.
Sloane Stephens (2017 U.S. Open champion), Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open titlist), Danielle Collins (2022 Aussie Open finalist), Taylor Townsend and rookie Peyton Stearns will symbolize the pink, white and blue within the 12-country event that ends this weekend.
Tennis Channel will air the occasion. The People received’t play till Thursday after they face defending-champion Switzerland, then the Czech Republic on Friday in round-robin play.
Gauff and Pegula opted out as a result of they figured to be high contenders within the WTA season-ending championships in Cancun final week. Certainly, each made the semifinals. Gauff misplaced to Pegula in Sunday’s semifinals. Pegula, ranked fifth on the planet, was set to face Poland’s Iga Swiatek in Monday night time’s ultimate.
Final 12 months, Gauff went from the WTA championships in Dallas straight to Glasgow, Scotland and admitted to exhaustion.
Extra: It didn’t take profitable the U.S. Open for Coco Gauff to show she is a superb champion | D’Angelo
“You by no means know who’s going to return out and play and present up,’’ Stephens mentioned. “I believe that is what makes the U.S. so good and so sturdy at each single tie is as a result of we at all times have an A, B, C, D, E workforce that may at all times exit and kick anybody’s ass.’’
This can be Stuart native Kathy Rinaldi’s ultimate competitors as USA captain and he or she welled up in tears when requested about it at Monday’s press convention.
Corridor-of-Famer Lindsay Davenport will take over as captain in 2024. The U.S. workforce is vying for a document nineteenth championship. No one requested about Gauff or Pegula in the course of the presser.
This text initially appeared on Palm Seaside Submit: Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula no-shows for Staff USA at Billie Jean King Cup Finals
