Wow. Rome threw in the towel this morning and I completely missed it.
According to the Italian Tennis Federation, veterans Francesca Schiavone, Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci and Flavia Penetta were all granted permission to skip the event in Cleveland due to the rigors of the tour, currently swinging through the Middle East and Europe.
Even the conceded point to 2014 AO Doubles Champs Errani and Vinci now favors the US.
That leaves Serena and Sloane licking their chops for the likes of Camila Giorgi, Nastassja Burnett, Karin Knapp and Alice Matteucci. Up and comers they may be, but they’re putative putty in the hands of the Americans.
—S. Fogleman
Tennis Atlantic 