ROME (AP) - Italy is hoping the Williams sisters decide to skip the Fed Cup final in November. Either way, though, the 2006 champions plan to host the United States in the best-of-five series on the slowest clay they can find.

"I hope the Williams sisters don’t come," Italy captain Corrado Barazzutti told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "If they do come, we’ll try to beat them. It’s not impossible on clay. (Flavia) Pennetta has already beaten Venus more than once."

The 14th-ranked Pennetta beat Venus Williams twice last year - including a victory at the French Open - although Venus won their last two meetings.

Italy beat Russia 4-1 and the United States edged the Czech Republic 3-2 in the semifinals last weekend. The Williams sisters - Venus and Serena - skipped the trip to Brno, and Fed Cup rookies Alexa Glatch and Bethanie Mattek-Sands lined up for United States captain Mary Joe Fernandez.

The Nov. 7-8 final immediately follows the season-ending WTA Championships in Doha, and Barazzutti expects the Williams sisters to play there. Italy would like to host the final in the south to play outdoors on slow clay to soften the impact of the Williams sister’s fierce groundstrokes.

"We’re definitely going to play on clay - very slow clay - and if possible, outdoors," Barazzutti said. "First we need to determine if we can play outdoors, then we’ll choose the most uncomfortable setting possible. Uncomfortable in the sense that it suits us and not the Americans."

The 19-year-old Glatch cruised in her two singles victories against the Czechs.

"On clay sometimes it’s not enough just to play well," Barazzutti said. "You’ve got to work. It’s very unlikely she’ll be able to beat our players 6-2, 6-2, because our players are natural clay players."

Francesca Schiavone won two singles matches for Italy against two-time defending champion Russia, and Roberta Vinci improved her Fed Cup doubles record to 13-0, teaming with Sara Errani.

"Ours is a team that has that extra spirit necessary to obtain great results," Barazzutti said. "They’re friends and they respect each other. The national team is very important to them, and that has helped create such a tight-knit group."

The United States has won all nine previous meetings with Italy, although they haven’t met since 2003 in Washington.

"That was a very lopsided (5-0) loss in Washington on fast courts," Barazzutti said. "Now we have very good players that play a very high level."

Italy has reached the final three of the past four years, winning its only title in 2006 over Belgium. This is the first time Italy will host the final.

Barazzutti has faced the United States in a final before, retiring with an injury from the opening match against Vitas Gerulaitis in the 1979 Davis Cup final, which the Americans swept 5-0. Gerulaitis and John McEnroe each won both of their singles matches and Stan Smith and Bob Lutz teamed to beat Adriano Panatta and Paolo Bertolucci in doubles.

"They had a great team," Barazzutti said.