In one of the weekend's most dramatic ties, Australia defeated Spain 3-2. Sam Stosur won both of her singles matches, but Anabel Medina Garrigues and Carla Suarez Navarro each had a singles victory. The 2-2 tie set up a potentially thrilling doubles rubber featuring Stosur and Rennae Stubbs against Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The Australians won in straight sets, giving the Spaniards their second significant loss in a row (they lost in straight sets in the third round of the Australian Open).
Team USA won three singles rubbers in a row. Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the first, and Melanie Oudin won the next two. Both dead rubbers were played, however, and there was a final score of 4-1. The USA will play Russia in the USA in the semifinals, and all eyes will probably be on Oudin.
In another very tight contest, the Czech Republic defeated Germany 3-2. Lucie Hradecka, making her Fed Cup debut, won her only singles match (against Andrea Petkovic), and then--with partner Kveta Peschke--won the deciding doubles rubber in straight sets. The Czech Republic will play defending champion Italy in the semifinals.
Belgium also advanced, defeating Poland 3-2. In today's dramatic match between Yanina Wickmayer and Agnieszka Radwanska, Wickmayer saved two match points in the second set. She went on to win, 1-6, 7-6, 7-5.
Serbia and Russia also played five rubbers to determine the winner. Jelena Jankovic won both of her singles matches, and Ana Ivanovic lost both of hers. The two played in the doubles rubber against substitutes Svetlana Kuznetsova and Alisa Kleybanova (Vera Dushevina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova were originally scheduled to play), and defeated the Russians won in straight sets.
Here are all of the results:
WORLD GROUP I
Italy def. Ukraine, 4-1
Czech Republic def. Germany, 3-2
Russia def. Serbia, 3-2
USA def. France, 4-1
WORLD GROUP II
Australia def. Spain, 3-2
Belgium def. Poland, 3-2
Estonia def. Argentina, 4-1
Slovak Republic def. China, 3-2
I am not sure what you mean by Australia going to the semifinals. The semifinals will be the CZE against ITA and USA against RUS. AUS will play in the World Group playoffs held at the same time. The draw for the play-offs will take place on Feb 10, the ties on April 24-25. They will play one of the teams that lost in the World Group I in the 1st rd.
ReplyDeleteI actually didn't mean what I said at all, and thanks for pointing it out. In fact, the original post was correct, and somehow got changed in the editing, probably because I was trying to do too many things at once.
ReplyDeleteCorrection made. I can't believe I didn't see that myself.
Sorry Diane, but Belgium is not in the World Group semifinals. Belgium will be in the World Group playoffs to determine who will be promoted to the World Group 1 next year. Again the semis will be CZE v ITA and USA v RUS.
ReplyDeleteI know that, too! I made a mess of this post, and really thought I had re-read it properly. Oh, well--just goes to show my state of mind at the time. I knew what I meant--I just couldn't seem to type it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sunny. Some posts are cursed.