Italy moved to the brink of victory against the USA in the Fed Cup final with two straightforward singles wins in Reggio Calabria.
The USA went into the tie without both Williams sisters and youngsters Alexa Glatch and Melanie Oudin proved no match for their more experienced opponents.
Glatch was up first on the clay against world No.11 Flavia Pennetta but the 20-year-old struggled with her serve and was beaten 6-3 6-1 in little over an hour.
Italy's only previous Fed Cup title came with a 3-2 win against Belgium in 2006 but they are unlikely to need a deciding rubber this time around.
Oudin has emerged as the golden girl of American tennis this year, the 18-year-old reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon and the quarter-finals of the US Open to climb into the world's top 50.
And she began well against Francesca Schiavone with an early break of serve but the Italian hit back and then took the opener on the tie-break.
The second set was much more straightforward for Schiavone, 11 years Oudin's senior, as she cruised to a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 victory.
Oudin is scheduled to begin proceedings tomorrow against Pennetta, needing a victory to keep the USA's hopes alive.
Top seed Marion Bartoli secured her place in the final of the Tournament of Champions in Bali after easing to a 6-1 6-3 victory over Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm.
The Frenchwoman took 85 minutes to see off the challenge of the 39-year-old Date Krumm - the oldest woman on the WTA Tour - and set-up a meeting with compatriot Aravane Rezai.
Bartoli breezed through the first set and it was much the same in the second as she raced into a 5-0 lead and though Date Krumm staged a minor fightback to make it 5-3, Bartoli saved two break points in the ninth game before closing out the match.
It is Bartoli's fourth final appearance of the season as she looks to add to the titles she won in Monterrey and Stanford earlier this year.
Rezai, meanwhile, progressed with an equally comfortable victory as she defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 6-2 6-3.
ITALY 2 LEAD USA 0
Flavia Pennetta bt Alexa Glatch 6-3 6-1
Francesca Schiavone bt Melanie Oudin 7-6 (7-2) 6-2
WTA-Bali
1-Marion Bartoli (France) bt Kimiko Date Krumm (Japan) 6-1 6-3
Aravane Rezai (France) bt Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (Spain) 6-2 6-3