Melanie Oudin and her big red ribbon both express anguish during her loss in the second rubber of the Fed Cup final in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Photo via d.yimg.com

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With the Americans Williams-less and on clay, the writing was already on the wall going into the Fed Cup finals this weekend in the south of Italy.  Even though they only just put a player into the WTA top ten for the first time this year, Italy has long boasted a strong Fed Cup team, winning the whole shebang in 2006.

And without the Williamses, the United States Fed Cup team was left in the hands of two players who hadn't played a single Fed Cup tie before this year, Melanie Oudin and Alexa Glatch.  Those two were the players who carried the US through the first two rounds of the competition, so in many ways its fitting that they're the two to have the chance to carry the US to glory in the final.  But in more ways, they look like blonde lambs to the slaughter.

Rubber 1: Flavia Pennetta ITA vs. Alexa Glatch USA

While neither match was likely to be close, this match was the one of the two more likely to be surprising.  In what was by far one of the most bizarre results of the year, Glatch absolutely crushed Pennetta in the first round of the French Open, 6-1, 6-1.  With that result in mind, it's not hugely surprising that Glatch says that clay is her favorite surface.

But upon seeing her play on the surface for the first time, I became immediately baffled as to why Glatch would ever claim clay as her surface of choice.  She appeared completely unable to move on the surface at all, especially when it came to changing directions.  Any time Pennetta made the least effort to change directions on her shots or to cross-up Glatch, she won the point with ease. Glatch is approaching Daniela Hantuchova in terms of lankiness, so it's not surprising she's not the smoothest mover.

The one thing that seemed to be helping Glatch about the clay was the way it muffled Pennetta's superior power.  Davis Cup and Fed Cup courts are always a little suspect because they're rarely held at tennis-only facilities.  And wow, is this one ever suspect.  The clay powder appears to be about five times as thick as usual, making drop shots die inches from where they first bounced.  With some well played drop shots, Glatch managed three games in the first set.

It looked like things might be turned around early in the second set, with Glatch breaking Pennetta to open the set after a long battle.  But that would be the last game Glatch won, with Pennetta blitzing her way through the rest of the set, handing a nice Italian breadstick to Glatch in the second set.

All in all, Glatch looked pretty awful.  It makes me wonder what the hell happened at the French Open that allowed her to even be competitive with Pennetta, much less beat her.  If I were American Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez, I would replace Glatch with Vania King for tomorrow's rubber, dead or not.

Pennetta wins 6-3, 6-1 -- Italy leads 1-0

Rubber 2: Francesca Schiavone ITA vs. Melanie Oudin USA

Oudin, who hasn't played a single main draw match since the US Open has an absolutely enormous red ribbon in her hair.  With the power of said ribbon behind her, Oudin's shots are penetrating the clay court much better than Glatch's did, and said power leads her to an early break and a 4-2 lead, before a rain delay sets in.

When the rain delay ends several hours later, Schiavone breaks back for 4-4.  Oudin had her chances to take the set on Schiavone's serve at 4-5, going up 0-30, but Schiavone held, and the two made their way to the tiebreak shortly thereafter.

Oudin showed much of the same vocal passion and fierce competitiveness she became famous for during the US Open, but it was not enough.  Even though the two were pretty evenly matched throughout several tough points in the tiebreak, Schiavone took it pretty easily, winning it 7-2.

Just like Glatch had, Oudin broke to open the second set.  And just like Pennetta had, Schiavone recovered from being broken by going on a tear, winning the next five games.  Oudin managed the seventh game of the set, but Schiavone took the frame 6-2, and thereby the match in straight sets.

Schiavone wins 7-6(2), 6-2 -- Italy leads 2-0.

The US really has no chance to win this one, but Liezel Huber and Vania King should have a pretty decent shot of taking what will be a totally meaningless doubles rubber.  Congrats to Italy on the win.