Sports / Tennis |
Russia, Italy, France advance to Fed Cup semifinals(AP)Updated: 2007-04-24 14:09 LONDON -- Russia, Italy and France reached the semifinals of the Fed Cup on Sunday with two matches to spare. Russia ended up beating Spain 5-0 to guarantee a spot in the last four, while defending champion Italy did the same to China and France shut out Japan. The United States is also close to advancing, leading Belgium 2-0 after Saturday's singles in the best-of-five series. Fifth-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 on clay in Moscow at the Luzhniki indoor arena to give Russia its win over Spain. Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion, easily won the first set but struggled in the second. "I completely lost the second set," Kuznetsova said. "I do not know what has happened to me. I could not go in for the ball at all." Anna Chakvetadze, who replaced ninth-ranked Nadia Petrova, then beat Nuria Llagostera Vives 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 in the second reverse singles match, and Petrova and Elena Vesnina downed Laura Pous-Tio and Lourdes Dominguez-Lino 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 in the doubles. Kuznetsova and the Petrova are the two highest-ranked players competing this weekend in World Group I. Both won their opening matches Saturday. Russia, which won titles in 2004 and 2005, will face either the United States or Belgium in the semifinals on July 14-15. Italy got its deciding point when Tathiana Garbin beat Zhang Shuai 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 at home on clay in Castellaneta Marina. "She had a lightning start, but fortunately I was able to change her rhythm a bit," Garbin said. Zhang was playing for Peng Shuai, who had three match points against Flavia Pennetta on Saturday, but withdrew with a hamstring injury while trailing 3-0 in the third set. Mara Santangelo beat Sun Tian Tian 6-4, 6-2 in the final singles match, and Santangelo and Roberta Vinci downed Sun and Sun Sheng Nan 6-2, 6-4 in doubles. Italy, which beat Belgium in last year's final for its first Fed Cup title, will face France in the semifinals. The 18th-ranked Tatiana Golovin, who won her first WTA Tour singles title earlier this month at the Bausch & Lomb Championships, gave France the win over Japan by beating Ai Sugiyama 7-6 (3), 6-0 on outdoor clay in Limoges. "The first set was very tense, very tight," Golovin said. "I think mental toughness made the difference because I committed a lot of unforced errors." Virginie Razzano then beat Akiko Morigami 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-2 in the second reverse singles match before Severine Bremond and Nathalie Dechy topped Sugiyama and Ayumi Morita 6-1, 6-2 in the doubles. Sisters Venus and Serena Williams gave the Americans a 2-0 lead over Belgium on outdoor hard courts in Delray Beach, Florida. Serena Williams had been expected to face Kirsten Flipkens in the first reverse singles match Sunday, but she pulled out because of slight inflammation in her right knee and was replaced by 18-year-old Vania King. Venus Williams is to play Caroline Maes in the second match, and King and
Lisa Raymond will face Yanina Wickmayer and Tamaryn Hendler in
doubles. |
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