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Russia Rallies Past Serbia Into Semis
(February 7, 2010) Serbia had two former World No. 1 players — Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic — and 10,000 enthusiastic fans on its side in Belgrade today.
In the end, it was the lowest-ranked player on the court, World No. 31 Alisa Kleybanova, who sparked Russia to a comeback victory.
Kleybanova swept Ivanovic, 6-2, 6-3, to level the Fed Cup tie, 2-2. With a trip to the World Group semifinals riding on the outcome of the doubles match, Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev substituted Kleybanova and Kuznetsova in place of his scheduled doubles team and the pair responded in dismissing Ivanovic and Jankovic, 6-1, 6-4, to clinch Russia's 3-2 conquest of Serbia.
Four-time Fed Cup champion Russia will face the host United States in the April 24-25th semifinals.
Kleybanova ran out of gas in Saturday's second singles match, falling to Jankovic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0, as Serbia split the opening singles matches yesterday.
Jankovic, whose status for this tie was uncertain due to a back injury, beat Kuznetsova, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in today's first reverse singles match to move Serbia to within one of a trip to the semifinals. But the big-hitting Kleybanova, who beat Ivanovic at the 2009 Australian Open quieted the crowd with a composed performance to even the tie.
"Yesterday was a very tough day but I’m happy I recovered well and I was performing pretty good today," Kleybanova said. "It is most important that we won the whole match and I am very happy."
Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
WORLD GROUP FIRST ROUND
ITALY defeated UKRAINE 4-1
Venue: Palace of Sports "Lokomotiv", Kharkiv, UKR (hard – indoors)
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 61 64
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 75 63
Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 75 76(3)
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 26 61 61
Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. Mariya Koryttseva/Viktoria Kutuzova (UKR) 61 63
CZECH REPUBLIC defeated GERMANY 3-2
Venue: Brno Exhibition Centre, Brno , CZE (hard – indoors)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 62 62
Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Andrea Petkovic (GER) 64 64
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) d. Andrea Petkovic (GER) 61 76(5)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) d. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 46 63 62
Lucie Hradecka/Kveta Peschke (CZE) d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Tatjana Malek (GER) 61 63
RUSSIA defeated SERBIA 3-2
Venue: Belgrade Arena, Belgrade , SRB (hard – indoors)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 61 64
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) 46 64 60
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 63 46 63
Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) d. Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 62 63
Alisa Kleybanova/Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Ana Ivanovic/Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 61 64
USA defeated FRANCE 4-1
Venue: Stade Couvert Regional Lievin, Lievin, FRA (clay – indoors)
Bethanie Mattek-Sands ( USA ) d. Alize Cornet (FRA) 76(7) 75
Melanie Oudin ( USA ) d. Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 64 64
Melanie Oudin ( USA ) d. Julie Coin (FRA) 76(3) 64
Pauline Parmentier (FRA) d. Christina McHale ( USA ) 64 64
Liezel Huber/Bethanie Mattek-Sands ( USA ) d. Stephanie Cohen-Aloro/Alize Cornet (FRA) 62 63
WORLD GROUP II FIRST ROUND
AUSTRALIA defeated SPAIN 3-2
Venue: Memorial Drive, Adelaide , AUS (hard – outdoors)
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 26 61 64
Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 62 63
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) 61 63
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) d. Alicia Molik (AUS) 61 61
Samantha Stosur/Rennae Stubbs (AUS) d. Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP) 64 62
BELGIUM defeated POLAND 3-2
Venue: Hala Sportowo-Widowiskowa "Luczniczka", Bydgoszcz , POL (hard – indoors)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d, Marta Domachowska (POL) 46 61 63
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 62 76(5)
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. 16 76(6) 75
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. Marta Domachowska (POL) 63 76(6)
Klaudia Jans/Alicja Rosolska (POL) d. An-Sophie Mestach/Sofie Oyen (BEL) 63 36 61
ESTONIA defeated ARGENTINA 4-1
Venue: Tere Sport Tennis Club, Tallinn , EST (hard – indoors)
Maret Ani (EST) d. Maria Irigoyen (ARG) 61 62
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 61 75
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Aranza Salut (ARG) 61 61
Maret Ani (EST) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 62 63
Mailen Auroux/Maria Irigoyen (ARG) d. Margit Ruutel/Anett Schutting (EST) 75 64
SLOVAK REPUBLIC defeated CHINA, P.R. 3-2
Venue: Sibamac Arena, Bratislava , SVK (hard – indoors)
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Xinyun Han (CHN) 61 64
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. Shuai Zhang (CHN) 60 61
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Shuai Zhang (CHN) 64 61
Xinyun Han (CHN) d. Kristina Kucova (SVK) 61 61
Jing-Jing Lu/Shuai Zhang (CHN) d. Dominika Cibulkova/Kristina Kucova (SVK) 2-3 ret.
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