FED CUP: DOUBLES PAIR WRAP IT UP FOR AUSTRALIA

AN Ashleigh Barty trifecta helped Australia avoid a huge Fed Cup upset against Ukraine in Canberra yesterday.

The World Group II tie was pushed to the deciding doubles match after an out-of-form Daria Gavrilova dropped both her singles rubbers.

World No. 16 Barty backed up her two singles wins by reigniting her doubles partnership with Casey Dellacqua to deliver Australia a 3-2 win.

The result means Australia advances to the World Group play-offs in April, putting it one win away from the Fed Cup’s top-eight nations for the first time since 2015.

An opponent for Australia’s playoff match is expected to be announced tomorrow night.

An emotional Dellacqua celebrated her 33rd birthday by defeating Ukraine’s twins Nadiia and Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-3, 6-4 with Barty in what she said was a career highlight.

A text message from Samantha Stosur, who made herself unavailable for the tie, yesterday morning reminded Dellacqua about the live doubles rubber win the pair had in Slovakia in 2016.

“This tops that ... being here at home in Canberra and playing for your country is definitely one of the best moments of my career,” Dellacqua said. The result saved face for Australia, with Ukraine entering the tie as a serious outsider, being without world No. 3 Elina Svitolina and being led by teenage prodigy Marta Kostyuk on her Fed Cup debut.

After Barty beat Lyudmyla Kichenok 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the opening rubber on Saturday, Kostyuk, 15, responded by upsetting world No. 26 Gavrilova to level the tie 1-1.

Barty and Kostyuk were up first yesterday, with the Queenslander too strong for the Ukrainian, winning 6-2, 6-3. But Gavrilova’s troubles on grass continued in her reverse singles rubber, with unranked Nadiia Kichenok delivering a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph. Ukraine captain Mikhail Filima subbed in Nadiia for Lyudmyla only minutes before the match in what proved to be a masterstroke. AAP