Nov 6, 2009, 12:30 GMT
Reggio Calabria, Italy - Host Italy will begin its bid Saturday for a second Fed Cup title in three years as Flavia Pennetta opens weekend play against American Alexa Glatch.
Experienced Italian campaigner Francesca Schiavone will then face Melanie Oudin, who made a breakthrough with a US Open quarter-final, in the day's second singles.
Sunday's reverse singles will feature Flavia Pennetta facing Oudin and Schiavone against Glatch. Doubles - if required - will be Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci vs Liezel Huber and Vania King.
The US is without both Williams sisters, with Serena withdrawing just hours after winning the Sony Ericsson Championships last week in Doha.
That doesn't give Italian captain Corrado Barazzutti any extra confidence. 'The absence of the Williams sisters makes no difference to us,' he said.
'Our girls are focussed on the player they will face and their aim is to play in the best possible condition.'
While citing exhaustion as she made her excuses to captain Mary Jo Fernandez, the new number one later tweeted that she was happily signing books at an autograph session in London a few days later.
The Italian singles players are on a roll this season, with Penntta first from the nation into the WTA Top ten and Schiavone winning her second career title with victory in Moscow just days ago.
The Williams pair last played for the US two years ago.
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