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Hey, Fed Cup said it, I didn’t:

There was a shock singles selection for the Americans at the draw for the Fed Cup Final when it was revealed that captain Mary Joe Fernandez had chosen CoCo Vandeweghe as the second singles player.

The 18-year-old world No. 114 will be the first player since 1995 to make their Fed Cup debut in a final, and she replaces Melanie Oudin, who has been instrumental in getting the Americans to this final. Oudin is named for the doubles alongside Liezel Huber.

“I was thinking who the best matchup for Schiavone would be. She’s such a different style of player than I think the players are accustomed,” explained Fernandez. “I decided with CoCo, with her height, her serve, her ability to really hit the ball up here, that’s a good choice to start the day.”

“I think if Mary Joe Fernandez decide to put CoCo on the match probably is because she’s playing good,” said Italian captain Corrado Barazzutti.

Oh, and a sea lion named Clyde picked CoCo’s name out of the bowl during the draw ceremony. Not really so shocking, since the draw ceremony was at Sea World. But the photo is just too cute.

Photo by Paul Zimmer for Fed Cup.com

Melanie Oudin’s ranked 67 in the WTA rankings. CoCo is 114 and has never played in Fed Cup, before. But she is 6’1″. Something tells me there’s another “surprise” in store with a late substitution. But will it be Clyde or Melanie?

The Fed Cup Final draw:

Saturday

R1: CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) v Francesca Schiavone (ITA)

R2: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v Flavia Pennetta (ITA)

Sunday

R3: Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) v Francesca Schiavone (ITA)

R4: CoCo Vandeweghe (USA) v Flavia Pennetta (ITA)

R5: Liezel Huber / Melanie Oudin (USA) v Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci (ITA)

Fed Cup TV Schedule and Live Streaming here.