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Alabama, April 26 — The United States advanced to a Fed Cup final rematch with defending champion Italy on Sunday with a dramatic 3-2 semifinal victory over Russia.
The Americans were without Serena and Venus Williams, both absent because of leg injuries.
(Reuters) – Fed Cup holders Italy again showed their sum is greater than their parts after easily dismissing the Czech Republic and storming into another final on Sunday.
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World number 15 Flavia Pennetta, who has never threatened in the individual grand slams, displayed her special attachment to the team competition by defeating Petra Kvitova 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 to give Italy an unassailable 3-0 lead in the semi-final.
Sara Errani then beat Lucie Hradecka 6-4 6-2 in a dead singles rubber before teaming up with Francesca Schiavone to hammer Hradecka and Kveta Peschke 6-2 6-4 in the doubles to seal a 5-0 whitewash.
Italy, with no great tennis tradition, lifted the Fed Cup in 2006 and 2009 and have now reached four finals in five years.
Only a brave gambler would bet against them beating the United States or Russia in November’s final.
“It’s an incredible emotion. We are again in the final and all the team are euphoric,” Pennetta said courtside after her second singles win on Rome’s clay in two days.
Detractors have alleged that Italy’s Fed Cup success is largely down to other countries not prioritizing the team event given tennis is usually such an individual pursuit.
Americans Serena and Venus Williams did not even make themselves available for last year’s final and top names continue to pull out on a regular basis.
However, Italy captain Corrado Barazzutti believes his team’s dedication and passion should be highlighted instead of the flaws in the tournament.
“I’m not a great captain, they are a great team. It’s right they receive the applause of Rome,” said Barazzutti, part of the only Italian men’s team to win the Davis Cup in 1976.
“They have written another chapter in the history of Italian tennis. Another final is extraordinary. I think it will take many years to have another team like this one.”
The Italian men are now down in the Europe/Africa zone of Davis Cup while their female counterparts excel in their version of the tournament.
Pennetta and Italy number two Schiavone are leagues ahead of their countrymen on the circuit but the fact the pair lie consistently outside the women’s top 10 and only win second-tier tournaments may explain their Fed Cup bond.
It is the only high-profile competition they have a good chance of winning and each victory boosts the sport in a usually soccer-obsessed nation.
“It’s great for Italian tennis and for all us players,” Pennetta said as she danced a jig of delight with the Italian flag.
(Writing by Mark Meadows in Milan, Editing by Dave Thompson)
Miami – Teenager Victoria Azarenka reinforced this week’s move into the Top 10 as she reached her third final of the season with a marathon 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 defeat of former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Masters on Thursday.
The 19-year-old, Arizona-based Azarenka spent nearly three hours and needed four match points to finally book her spot. She awaits the result of the clash later between sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who between them hold eight titles at their home event.
“It feels great that all the work I’ve been doing is paying off,” Azarenka said. “I was just trying to play every point from the beginning to the end.
“The second set didn’t go so well for me, but I was still hanging in there.”
Azarenka also re-wrote a painful episode in her recent history after holding a match point, but losing to 2006 champion Kuznetsova in the 2008 round of 32 at Crandon Park.
On a steaming hot afternoon, the youngster from Belarus was unable to serve out victory with a 5-4 lead in the final set as Kuznetsova saved a match point from an error and then profited as the nervous Azarenka double-faulted for 5-all.
But the Russian’s serve let her down in the next game, with the Belarusian youngster breaking for 6-5.
Azarenka finally clinched the win a game later after Kuznetsova salvaged another two match points but fired a backhand into the net to end the encounter.
Kuznetsova, working now without a coach and trying to find her way, said that she exceeded her modest expectations.
“I’ve not been winning a lot, coming here I felt lost on the court. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I was trying some new stuff and then some old stuff and I was a little bit messed up.
“If you had told me coming to the tournament that I’d make the final, I would doubt. But I was fighting all I could in the third set.”
Azarenka triumphed in a hard slog with 26 winners and 42 unforced errors, breaking on six of her dozen chances.
“It was really, really tough, but I was preparing myself for a long match,” said Azarenka. “The last points and the last games was really, really tough.
“I’m just so happy that I found energy and that fighting moment. I had to fight, you know, no matter what. That was kind of (an) adrenaline in the last games. I didn’t have so much energy.”
Kuznetsova had won all three of the pair’s previous meetings, losing only one set in the process.
But the experienced Russian who won the 2004 US Open was unable to nose over the line against the talented number 10, winner of events in Brisbane and Memphis this season.
The Williams pair will be playing for Serena’s number 1 ranking with a loss to her sister Venus automatically shifting Russian Dinara Safina into the top spot from Monday. (dpa)
Miami – Teenager Victoria Azarenka reinforced this week’s first-ever move into the Top 10 as she reached her first major final with a marathon 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 defeat of former champion Svetlana Kuznetsova at the Miami Masters on Thursday.
The 19-year-old, Arizona-based Azarenka spent nearly three hours and needed four match points to finally book her spot. She awaits the result of the clash later between sisters Serena and Venus Williams, who between them hold eight titles at their “home” event.
Azarenka also re-wrote a painful episode in her recent history after holding a match point but losing to 2006 champion Kuznetsova in the 2008 round of 32 at Crandon Park.
On a steaming hot afternoon, the youngster from Belarus was unable to serve out victory with a 5-4 lead in the final set as Kuznetsova saved a match point from an error and then profited as the nervous Azarenka double-faulted for 5-all.
But the Russian’s serve let her down in the next game, with the Belarus youngster breaking for 6-5. Azarenka finally clinched the win a game later after Kuznetsova salvaged another two match points but fired a backhand into the net to end the encounter.
Azarenka triumphed in a hard slog with 26 winners and 42 unforced errors, breaking on six of her dozen chances.
Kuznetsova had won all three of the pair’s previous meetings, losing only one set in the process.
But the experienced Russian who won the 2004 US Open was unable to nose over the line against the talented number 10, winner of events in Brisbane and Memphis this season.
The Williams pair will be playing for Serena’s number 1 ranking with a loss to her sister Venus automatically shifting Russian Dinara Safina into the top spot from Monday. dpa