With Serena Williams sidelined, Fed Cup teammate Vania King showed she can do more than sing.
The 18-year-old King won raves for her rendition of the national anthem to start the weekend, then substituted Sunday for Williams and sealed the U.S. team's victory over Belgium.
King beat Kirsten Flipkens 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, giving the Americans an insurmountable 3-0 lead en route to a 5-0 victory. They'll face Russia in the semifinals after Wimbledon.
Serena and Venus Williams won in singles Saturday, then became cheerleaders rooting from the bench for King.
"It's a great feeling, because they're champions I really look up to," King said. "It's really honoring."
"She had a great performance," Serena Williams said. "It was a pressure match, because it was the clincher. She was down a lot, but she was able to come back. I thought it was a great match."
Williams pulled out a few hours before she was to face Flipkens, citing soreness in her right knee diagnosed as slight inflammation. She said the knee started bothering her before Saturday's match, but she didn't think it would hamper her preparation for the French Open next month.
