U.S. hoping CoCo Vandeweghe plays beyond her years at Fed Cup

Whether she plays or not, these Federation Cup finals between the United States and defending champion Italy that get underway here Saturday have already stamped CoCo Vandeweghe as the young American tennis player to watch.

Whether the U.S. wins or loses, though, her ascension into the final lineup is already a triumph for the 18-year-old from Rancho Santa Fe.

But the pressure will be intense given that the Fed Cup is the lone team competition in women’s tennis, one in which, much like golf’s Ryder Cup, players aim for something other than individual glory. “It’s been a big dream of mine,” Vandeweghe said, “just to be able to wear the USA flag.”

Now ranked 114th in the world, she is on the rise, having beaten five players ranked in the top 80 just in the last two months, while Fed Cup teammate and 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist Melanie Oudin hasn’t beaten anyone ranked better than 143rd since July.

“CoCo’s got game,” fellow Fed Cup teammate Liezel Huber said. “We all know CoCo’s got game. Sometimes you have to go through the tough times to get to the good times. She’s matured a little later than I expected, but now it’s the fun stuff.

“What she does well is play the matches, and hopefully next year we’ll sit here and CoCo is for sure top 50. Because she has the all-around game.”

Huber began paying close attention to Vandeweghe two years ago.

“I loved her big game,” Huber said. “I vouched for her when she was 16.”

Vandeweghe got here, though, only after Serena Williams and her sister, Venus, finally and officially shut down their 2010 seasons — Serena because of a foot injury and Venus because of a knee injury. Still, U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez turned to Vandeweghe over higher-ranked players such as Vania King.

The U.S. hasn’t won the Fed Cup title since 2000, and it’s partly because the Williams sisters frequently decline to play and haven’t since 2007.

Strictly according to rankings, the Italians should be heavy favorites with defending French Open champion Francesca Schiavone (ranked seventh in the world) and 23rd-ranked Flavia Pennetta anchoring the team and likely to play the four singles matches.

“The majority of our opponents have been ranked higher than us lately,” Fernandez said. “We’ve been the underdogs.”

Bethanie Mattek-Sands is the highest-ranked American (58); Oudin, whose ranking had been around No. 30 early this year, is now 67th in the world. Mattek-Sands, Oudin and Vandeweghe are the most likely to be picked by Fernandez to play singles, and they are a combined 1-8 lifetime against Pennetta and Schiavone. The draw will be at noon Friday.

In the finals a year ago in Italy, against a U.S. team also missing the Williams sisters and anchored by Oudin, Mattek-Sands and Huber, the Americans lost 4-0 and no decisive doubles match was needed.

Pennetta downplayed the idea the Italians should be the heavy favorites and suggested that in this best-of-five team format in front of a partisan crowd, computer rankings aren’t important.

“In Fed Cup everything can happen,” she said. “Players with bad rankings can beat the good players for sure.”

While giving Vandeweghe a crash course in Fed Cup protocol, Mattek-Sands said this is about the only time when a tennis player might hope the home crowd is partisan and patriotic. “It’s OK to be red, white and blue, wave the flag and be noisy,” she said.

Huber and Mattek-Sands have told Vandeweghe about trying to serve while home-grown bands play clanging music in the stands and where players can’t complain about hooting and hollering mid-stroke.

But Huber looked Vandeweghe straight in the eyes when she said, “It’s going to be nerve-racking for you, CoCo, this week. But if anybody can do it the first time, it’s CoCo.”

Vandeweghe didn’t blink. She just nodded yes.

diane.pucin@latimes.com

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