St. Louis to Host 2014 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Playoff

The USTA announced that Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis University has been selected as the site for the 2014 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Playoff between the United States and France, April 19-20.  Fed Cup is the world’s largest annual international women’s team competition (96 countries entered in 2014).

The best-of-five match series begins on Saturday, April 19, with two singles matches and is followed by two reverse singles matches and the doubles match on Sunday, April 20. Matches will be played on an indoor hard court.

The U.S.-France winner will advance to the 2015 World Group and have a chance to compete for the Fed Cup title next year. The loser will be relegated to World Group II. The U.S. has competed in the World Group in 41 of 42 Fed Cup competitions (all but 2012) and is 3-1 in World Group Playoff matches.

“This is the first time we are playing Fed Cup in St. Louis, so I am really looking forward to competing there next month in front of an enthusiastic and patriotic home crowd,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, who is in her sixth year as the U.S. Fed Cup captain. “We have veteran players in Serena and Venus Williams who are available to play, as well as many strong, up-and-coming young Americans who are always excited to compete for their country. The tennis will be fantastic, from both the U.S. and France, so we are excited to have the city of St. Louis behind us.”

Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 21, at 10 a.m. CT, with a USTA member pre-sale beginning on Thursday, March 20, at 10 a.m. CT. To order tickets, fans can visit www.ticketmaster.com or www.usta.com/fedcup, call the U.S. Fed Cup hotline at (888) 334-8782, or visit the Chaifetz Arena Box Office. The event is being organized, staged and promoted by the USTA.

Missouri will be hosting Fed Cup for the second time. The state previously hosted the 2002 World Group Playoff in Springfield at the Cooper Tennis Complex, where a team that included nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles and 2014 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Lindsay Davenport swept Israel, 5-0. Dwight Davis, who in 1900 founded Davis Cup, the men’s equivalent to Fed Cup, was born in St. Louis in 1879.

 “We’re thrilled to have the USTA and international tennis return to St. Louis,” said Frank Viverito, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission. “Our community has a rich tennis history that dates back to Dwight Davis, who was from St. Louis.  So it’s very meaningful when we can build on that tradition by hosting one of the sport’s most prestigious events.  We’re excited the USTA chose our region and that fans will have the chance to experience the Fed Cup, which has long been on our wish list of events to bring to St. Louis.”

"We are ecstatic about hosting the Fed Cup as fans flock to the campus of Saint Louis University to be a part of the electrifying atmosphere as the United States takes on France," said Global Spectrum’s Jim Wynkoop, General Manager of Chaifetz Arena. "The intimate size of Chaifetz Arena will provide tennis fans an unparalleled, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of world-class tennis from an up-close and personal perspective."

The United States Fed Cup Team will be competing in its third consecutive home tie. In February, the U.S. played in the World Group Quarterfinal in Cleveland, falling to reigning champion Italy, 3-1, with a team of three Fed Cup rookies. The U.S. also found itself in the World Group Playoff in 2013, when Serena Williams and Venus Williams led the U.S. to victory over Sweden in Delray Beach, Fla. The U.S. is 37-5 all-time in Fed Cup ties played at home and holds an overall 143-34 record. 

This will mark the 13th matchup between the U.S. and France in Fed Cup competition. The U.S. holds an 11-1 advantage, with its only loss coming in the 2003 Final held in Moscow on indoor carpet, where France won, 4-1. The U.S. last played France in Fed Cup in the 2010 World Group Quarterfinal in Lievin, France, with the U.S. winning, 4-1, on an indoor clay court.

The site selection is subject to final approval by the International Tennis Federation. Tennis Channel will present live daily coverage of the World Group Playoff.

The United States leads all nations with 17 Fed Cup titles, the last coming in 2000.  For more information, including access to player and historical Fed Cup records, please go to www.usta.com/fedcup or www.fedcup.com. Wilson is the official ball of the U.S. Fed Cup Team.

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level, from local communities to the highest level of the professional game.  A not-for-profit organization with more than 750,000 members, it invests 100 percent of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Emirates Airline US Open Series, linking eight summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns approximately 90 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S. and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA’s national charitable foundation, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and helps underserved youth and people with disabilities. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com, “like” the official Facebook page, facebook.com/usta, or follow @usta on Twitter.

The St. Louis Sports Commission is the privately-funded nonprofit organization that grows, strengthens and moves St. Louis forward through sports.  The organization uses the power of sports to enhance the area’s quality of life and generate economic and social benefit for the St. Louis region.  For more information on the Sports Commission, visit stlsports.org, “like” the official Facebook page, facebook.com/stlouissports or follow @STLSportsCom on Twitter.

Global Spectrum® (global-spectrum.com) manages more than 115 public assembly facilities around the world. Nearly 23-million people attended more than 15,000 events in Global Spectrum venues last year. Based in Philadelphia, PA, Global Spectrum is part of Comcast-Spectacor, one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies. Comcast-Spectacor also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, Paciolan, the leading provider of venue establishment ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions, Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company, and Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks.