United States battle past Belarus to win 18th Fed Cup

A 17-year championship drought came to an end for the United States when it beat Belarus 3-2 to take its 18th tennis Fed Cup title. Coco Vandeweghe and Shelby Rogers defeated Aryna Sabalenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-3, 7-6 (3) in the deciding doubles of the 2017 final. It was the first Fed Cup title for the US since 2000. “It feels perfectly believable and unbelievable,” Vandeweghe said. “I’m ready for a vacation.” The Belarus pair led 5-2 in the second set and served to level at one-set apiece in the eighth, 10th and 12th games. The Americans dominated the tiebreaker, winning five of the last six points. Sasnovich had kept Belarus alive after beating US Open champion Sloane Stephens 4-6, 6-1, 8-6 to leave the final level at 2-2 on the indoor hard-court Chizhovka Arena. Vandeweghe earlier beat Sabalenka 7-6 (5), 6-1 to give the US a 2-1 lead. The US holds the most Fed Cup titles in the international team competition. This was its fourth Fed Cup final since last winning in 2000. It lost the 2003, 2009 and 2010 finals.