Stuttgart, Germany: Victories by Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova gave the Czech Republic a commanding 2-0 lead over hosts Germany in their Fed Cup semi-final yesterday.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova needed just over an hour for an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win over Julia Goerges at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart.
Pliskova followed that up with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Angelique Kerber to put the Czechs in firm control going into today’s three ties – two singles and one doubles rubber.
The Czech Republic look well set to continue their impressive recent Fed Cup form having won the title five times in the last seven years.
With the home crowd behind her, Goerges built up a 3-1 lead in the first set only for Kvitova to win the next five games and wrestle control of the match.
In the second rubber, Kerber put in a strong performance, but lost her serve at the crucial moment to lose the first set 7-5. Pliskova calmly took what was her only chance to break Kerber in the second set with ice-cold precision to seal the victory.
Goerges will now be under pressure to win Sunday’s opening rubber against Pliskova to save the Germans from defeat in their home semi.
In the other semi-final tier, Kristina Mladenovic came back from a set down to beat CoCo Vandeweghe 1-6 6-3 6-2 and draw France level with defending champions US in Aix-en-Provence.
World number 20 Mladenovic was blown away in the opening set before she dug deep to take a 3-0 lead in the second, only for Vandeweghe to level again.
Mladenovic, however, continued to back her attacking instincts, clinching six straight games before going on to end Vandeweghe’s eight-match Fed Cup winning streak.
Earlier in the day, US Open champion Sloane Stephens battled past Pauline Parmentier 7-6(3) 7-5 in two hours and 23 minutes.
Stephens, 25, saved five set points serving at 5-4 down in the first set, and then came back from a break down in the second set against Parmentier, ranked 122 in the world.
Battle
“That was a battle,” Stephens said after the match.
“She played really well. Obviously being down is never fun. I played much better in the tie-breaker and got a lot of confidence from that. I was fighting to stay in the match and play some good tennis. My first Fed Cup win in two years feels awesome.”
The reverse singles are scheduled on Sunday, followed by a doubles match between the French pair of Mladenovic and Amandine Hesse and Americans Madison Keys and Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The Americans hold an 11-2 winning record over the French.