By Mark MeadowsPosted 2009/11/08 at 9:18 am EST
REGGIO CALABRIA, Italy, Nov. 8, 2009 (Reuters) — Italy surged to their second Fed Cup title by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead over the United States in the final on Sunday.
Flavia Pennetta charged past Melanie Oudin 7-5 6-2 in the third singles rubber to wrap up an easy victory for the hosts.
Italy, who first won the trophy in 2006, had never beaten the U.S. in nine previous Fed Cup ties.
"It's incredible, the girls have rewritten the history of Italian tennis," captain Corrado Barazzutti told reporters.
Pennetta, the world number 11, put Italy 1-0 up on Saturday when she beat Alexa Glatch before Francesca Schiavone also defeated Oudin.
The Americans continually struggled without Serena and Venus Williams, who opted not to compete, and failed to win a set.
Oudin, 18, gave Pennetta a great early boost by netting a simple shot and surrendering her serve in the first game.
Pennetta consistently dominated but suffered a wobble when Oudin broke back at 5-5 on the outdoor clay court.
The American then double faulted to lose serve in the next game and hand the advantage back to the Italian, who quickly sealed the set under overcast skies.
Oudin, the top-ranked U.S. team member at 49, fell apart in the second set and was broken three times, allowing Pennetta the luxury of dropping her own service once before securing victory and prompting a huge roar from the southern Italian crowd.
(Editing by Clare Fallon)
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