Team USA snags spot in Budapest behind group effort

The U.S. Fed Cup team was put to the test this weekend in Everett, Wash. when they took on Latvia. The team, comprised of Serena Williams, Sofia Kenin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Alison Riske and Coco Gauff. They pulled out the clutch wins on court, and had some fun off of it.

Here are the Top 5 moments:

1

Gauff and Serena share a court

Though Gauff did not get any court time, she did get to soak in the experience of being on the same team as the 23-time Grand Slam champion. Gauff has beaten Serena's older sister Venus twice in the past year.

The 15-year-old had some jokes about her coach-ability after working with U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi.

“She is definitely a goofy person," Gauff said of Serena, in press. "I know she seems intense on the court but she likes to make jokes and she doesn’t take things too seriously."

2

The paper airplane battle

When the Americans weren't practicing or competing, they were having fun off the court together. In this case, it was actually competing against each other, but it still counts as team bonding.

3

Serena Shines

Serena's 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3) singles win over Jelena Ostapenko on Friday was her first Fed Cup singles win since 2015. The Washington crowd made sure she felt welcome.

Her teammates were excited to see her compete, and win.

4

Kenin backs it up

In her first match since winning the Australian Open, Kenin opened the tie with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Sevastova. Kenin's lightning trajectory to the Top 10 can be credited in part to her Fed Cup debut in the 2018 final, and her first Fed Cup win in the World Group Play-offs in 2019.

2

Doubles Drama

Kenin and Serena would both lose their singles matches on Saturday, pushing the tie to a deciding rubber.  Serena actually lost her second singles match to Sevastova in a dramatic third-set tiebreaker.

So on Saturday night, Kenin and Mattek-Sands answered their country's call with a dominant 6-4, 6-0 win over Sevastova and Ostapenko.

The United States will next compete in the Fed Cup Finals in Budapest in April.