Fed Cup: Switzerland, Latvia, Spain and Canada reach Play-Offs
The opening round of the Fed Cup World Group II saw interesting clashes and four countries that will play in the World Group Play-Offs in April against the losing teams of the World Group. After losing the last three ties against Belarus, the Czech Republic and Romania, the Switzerland squad finally managed to score a win at home, defeating Italy 3-1 in Biel on an indoor hard surface. Belinda Bencic defeated Sara Errani 6-2, 7-5 in 80 minutes before Viktorija Golubic took down Camila Giorgi 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 after more than two hours to send Switzerland further ahead.
On Sunday, Belinda played another great match versus Giorgi to claim a 6-2, 6-4 win and seal the deal for her country before the Italians grabbed the dead doubles rubber for an overall 3-1 score. In Riga, Latvia hosted Slovakia and they wrote a dominant 4-0 triumph to secure the sixth straight Fed Cup win and their best result since joining the competition in 1992. Jelena Ostapenko prevailed against Rebecca Sramkova and it was Anastasija Sevastova who demolished Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4, 6-0 for a 2-0 lead. Sevastova returned on Sunday to topple Rebecca Sramkova 6-3, 6-2 and the Latvians completed a perfect weekend with a doubles triumph.
Kita-kyushu hosted the most exciting tie of the round, with Spain scoring a 3-2 win against Japan for the second straight Fed Cup win after losing the last three they played before that. In the opening match, Nao Hibino overpowered Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-2 before Georgina Garcia-Perez edged Misaki Doi 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 to level the score for Spain before the deciding Sunday's encounters. Japan was in front again when Kurumi Nara ousted Silvia Soler-Espinosa 7-6, 6-4 in just under two hours and the Spanish hero Georgina Garcia-Perez delivered another victory over Nao Hibino to set the deciding fifth doubles rubber.
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Georgina Garcia-Perez lost just four games against Makoto Ninomiya and Miyu Kato to send Spain over the finish line for their best result since 2016. Traveling to 's-Hertogenbosch, Canada stormed past the Netherlands 4-0 for the place in the first Play-Offs since 2015, with Bianca Andreescu and Francoise Abanda claiming wins on clay over Richel Hogenkamp and Arantxa Rus to take away the win and wait for the Play-Offs draw in a great spirit.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2SGvHBQ
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