By Chris Oddo | Saturday, November 8, 2014

 

Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova imposed their leftiness on the Germans to put the Czechs on the cusp of a third Fed Cup title in four years in Prague.

Photo Source: AFP

It’s all in a day’s work for Petra Kvitova when it comes to Fed Cup. The two-time Wimbledon champion put on a typically dazzling display against Andrea Petkovic at the O2 Arena in Prague, and Lucie Safarova followed suit against Angelique Kerber to put the Czechs on the cusp of a third Fed Cup title in the last four years.

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Kvitova improved her record to 20-3 for Fed Cup matches held indoors with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over a feisty Petkovic, smashing 25 winners on the quick indoor surface against only seven for Petkovic to improve to 4-4 lifetime against her.

Behind opportunistic returning, Kvitova opened leads of 3-0 and 5-1 in the opener, before breaking in the eighth game to take the set.

After trading breaks in the first two games of the second set, Petkovic would hold her ground, staying level all the way to the finish, but Kvitova once again stood tall in the crucial moments, breaking in the tenth game to clinch the straight-sets victory.

“I was so nervous,” said a relieved Kvitova. “I really couldn’t breathe too much.”

In the second rubber, Lucie Safarova rallied from a break down in both sets to claim a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Angelique Kerber to put the Czechs one match from the title.

The victory was Safarova’s third against the top ten in seventeen matches this season.

Kerber’s mental gaffe in the first set sabotaged her chances to prolong the set, as the German inadvertently cried out after striking what she thought was going to be a clean winner, but when Safarova tracked the ball down to get a racquet on it, the Czech was awarded the point—and the first set—on the hindrance call.

“It was a little bit strange,” said Safarova after the match. “She yelled, and it was a point for me.”

In the second set, Kerber tossed in two nervous double-faults while serving at 4-5 and never recovered. She saved two match points before Safarova put the victory in the books.

“To beat a top ten player here at home, it’s amazing,” said Safarova. “It’s a huge responsibility, but I’m also very excited to play at home.”

No team has ever come back to win the Fed Cup final after trailing 2-0.

With her squad searching for answers, German captain Barbara Rittner will have to decide whether or not to play Sabine Lisicki on Sunday. Her aggressive game is thought to be a better fit on the faster surface in Prague, and the Germans are in need of a spark. Lisicki owns a 1-2 lifetime record vs. Petra Kvitova, but has taken her to three sets in each loss.