This weekend, the premier team competition in women’s tennis will crown a champion at the newly-renamed Valley View Casino Center. The United States will host Italy in the 2010 Fed Cup Final on Saturday, Nov. 6 and Sunday, Nov. 7. “I’m very excited to be in the final once again and to be at home,” said Mary Joe Fernandez, U.S. team captain. “We’ve played a lot of our ties away and to be able to host the final for the first time in 10 years is quite a thrill.” The U.S. will contend for the Fed Cup on home turf for the first time since 2000. The final is a rematch of last year’s final, which the U.S. lost 4-0 to Italy on the clay in Reggio Calabria, Italy. “The team is ready and motivated to try and win the Fed Cup back,” Fernandez said. The Fed Cup is a best-of-five series, with one point awarded per match victory. Two three-set singles matches begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Valley View Casino Center, with one doubles match scheduled after singles on Sunday. “We’re going to have the same core players that have been playing the entire season,” Fernandez said. The core group of Melanie Oudin, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Liezel Huber has played for the U.S. team in each of the previous two rounds of the 2010 Fed Cup World Group. The U.S. advanced to the final by defeating France 4-1 in the first round and Russia 3-2 in the semifinals. “I’m very fortunate that the group that got me to the final this season and last season is healthy and ready to go,” Fernandez said. Playing without Women’s Tennis Association world singles No. 4-ranked Serena Williams and No. 5-ranked Venus Williams because of injury, the highest-ranked singles player on the U.S. team is No. 60 Mattek-Sands. The biggest name on the team is Oudin, a 2009 U.S. Open quarterfinalist currently ranked 68th after a disappointing 2010 season. “Wherever you ask her to contribute, she will. That’s what you look for when you’re playing for your country,” Fernandez said of Oudin. “She gives it her all. You know that no matter what the situation is, no matter what the score is, she’s never giving up and she supports everybody else.” Huber is ranked No. 3 in world doubles, with a career that includes four grand slam doubles titles. At the 2010 U.S. Open, Huber captured the mixed doubles title and finished runner-up in doubles. “Liezel is the veteran, the one that everybody looks up to,” Fernandez said. “She really sets such a good example on and off the court.” Rounding out the team is Coco Vandeweghe. The 18-year-old Rancho Santa Fe native was the final addition to the team, which Fernandez formally announced Oct. 26. “She is progressing so well and brings a different style of game. She’s a strong, tall player with variety and heavy shots,” Fernandez said. “Now it’s a matter of Coco taking it to the next level with consistency, getting even quicker and fitter.” The U.S. is squaring off against an Italian squad that comes in as the top team in the world. The Italian team includes 2010 French Open champ Francesca Schiavone (world singles No. 7), Flavia Pennetta (No. 23), Roberta Vinci (No. 38) and Sara Errani (No. 41). “They’re both all-court players with very different styles,” Fernandez said of Italy’s top two. “Schiavone hits a heavy topspin, can slice, is a great athlete and has a tremendous variety. Pennetta is also an all-court player but just solid as a rock — not a lot of weaknesses.” Because of Italy’s talent and experience, Fernandez considers the U.S. the underdog this weekend. The Americans lead the all-time series against Italy 9-1 and will be looking to add to their record 17 titles. “It’s a big challenge, but we’re looking forward to it and hoping we can turn things around this time,” Fernandez said. “I think it helps to be at home and playing on a surface that the team prefers.” Both teams arrived in San Diego earlier in the week, with the draw ceremony scheduled for noon on Friday, Nov. 5 at SeaWorld. The U.S. team held a kids clinic at Barnes Tennis Center on Wednesday. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com and range from $40 to $185 for one-day admission and $80 to $350 for a two-day pass. Both days of the final will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel. For more information, visit www.fedcup.com.