US finishes Billie Jean King Cup qualifying unbeaten

Jessica Pegula and the United States finished off a sweep of Austria in Billie Jean King Cup qualifying action on Saturday in Delray Beach, Fla.

Pegula defeated Julia Grabher 6-1, 6-3, while Coco Gauff and Caty McNally bested Melanie Klaffner and Sinja Kraus 6-1, 6-4. Gauff and Pegula each recorded straight-set wins on Friday.

Qualifiers took place on Friday and Saturday at locations around the world. The winning nations will advance to the finals in November. Switzerland and Austria have already qualified for the finals as last year's two finalists.

Each best-of-five series consists of two singles matches on the first day, then the reverse singles matches followed by a doubles match on the second day.

Italy began Saturday with a 2-0 lead on Slovakia in Bratislava, Slovakia, but had to hold on for a 3-2 victory. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova and Viktoria Hruncakova, who lost their singles matches on Friday, turned the tables.

Schmiedlova defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 and Hruncakova turned back Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-3, 7-6 (2), but Italy survived when its doubles team of Cocciaretto and Martina Trevisan outlasted Hruncakova and Tereza Mihalikova 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.

Romania also began the day with a 2-0 lead in Koper, Slovenia, but saw its lead over Slovenia disappear when Tamara Zidansek defeated Ana Bogdan 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 and Kaja Juvan turned back Jaqueline Adina Cristian 6-2, 6-4.

The doubles match pitting Juvan and Zidansek against Irina Bara and Monica Niculescu was suspended at 3-3 in the first set. It is scheduled to be completed Sunday morning.

Spain clinched its series against Mexico in Marbella, Spain, when Nurria Parrizas-Diaz defeated Marcela Zacarias in straight sets, after Mexico's Giuliana Olmos and Renata Zarazua