US upbeat minus the Williams

Dimitrov benefitted from a second- set collapse by Goffin to reach the semifinals for the first time with a 6- 4, 7- 6 ( 7/ 5) victory.

The 26- year- old Bulgarian got the better of a nervy Goffin in a repeat of last year’s ATP Tour Finals final.

Dimitrov has struggled on clay in the past and has never passed the French Open third round, but he was too strong for Goffin in the Monaco sunshine.

Dimitrov edged a tight opening set after failing to serve for it as Goffin produced a poor service game at 4- 5 down, before the Belgian recovered to lead 5- 1 in the second. — AFP Paris, April 20: The United States aim to prove again that they can thrive without Serena and Venus Williams when they tackle France for a place in a second consecutive Fed Cup final this weekend.

In 2017, the US won the tournament for the 18th time with a nerve- racking 3- 2 victory over Belarus which was only decided in the last doubles rubber when CoCo Vandeweghe and Shelby Rogers claimed the winning point.

The Williams sisters did not feature in that final in Minsk but they returned to national colours in February this year in a first round victory over The Netherlands which set- up this weekend’s clash in France.

“I’m very confident that we can make it to another final,” Vandeweghe told fedcup. Com ahead of the tie on indoor clay at AixenProvence.

“We have a lot of depth in our squad. From the singles players to the doubles, I think we have come together really well,” he added.

The American team boast world number nine and US Open champion Sloane Stephens, 13thranked Madison Keys, Vandeweghe, who is at 16 in the rankings, and doubles specialist Bethanie Mattek- Sands.

France, two- time Fed Cup champions, will be led by world number 20 Kristina Mladenovic but other team members Pauline Parmentier and Amandine Hesse are a modest 122 and 204 respectively.

Vandeweghe is on a 13match win streak in the Fed Cup and has not been defeated in three years in the tournament.

The US have won 11 of 13 Fed Cup meetings against France. However, the French have won two of the nations’ most three meetings.

In the other semifinal, Germany host 10- time champions Czech Republic clay in Stuttgart.

Germany have only beaten the Czechs once in eight meetings and that was back in 1987 in Vancouver. Germany feature Julia Georges and Angelique Kerber.

However, the Czechs boast similar firepower with world number six Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova, a double Wimbledon champion, leading the challenge in the singles. on recent