KVITOVA AND PLISKOVA GIVE CZECHS 2-0 LEAD
STUTTGART: Victories by Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova gave the Czech Republic a commanding 2-0 lead over hosts Germany in their Fed Cup semi-inal on Saturday.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova needed just over an hour for an emphatic 6-3, 6-2 win over Julia Goerges at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart.
Pliskova followed that up with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Angelique Kerber to put the Czechs in firm control going into Sunday’s three ties -- two singles and one doubles rubber.
The Czech Republic look well set to continue their impressive recent Fed Cup form having won the title five times in the last seven years.
With the home crowd behind her, Goerges built up a 3-1 lead in the first set only for Kvitova to win the next five games and wrestle control of the match.
In the second rubber, Kerber put in a strong performance, but lost her serve at the crucial moment to lose the first set 7-5.
Pliskova calmly took what was her only chance to break Kerber in the second set with ice-cold precision to seal the victory.
Goerges will now be under pressure to win Sunday’s opening rubber against Pliskova to save the Germans from defeat in their home semi-final.
STEPHENS GIVES US LEAD
Sloane Stephens fought hard to beat Pauline Parmentier 7-6 (3), 7-5 and give defending champion United States a 1-0 lead against France in the Fed Cup semifinals Saturday.
The US Open champion saved five set points serving at 5-4 down in the first set and rallied from a break and 4-3 down in the second set.
Both players made more than 50 unforced errors each in a scrappy World Group match lasting 2 hours, 23 minutes, conceding 25 break-point chances between them.
The ninth-ranked Stephens converted four of her 11 chances on Parmentier’s serve, while the 122ndranked Parmentier took only three of her 14 chances.
played Coco Vandeweghe at the 6,700-capacity Arena Pays d’aix on indoor clay. Kristina Mladenovic and Amandine Hesse are set to face Madison Keys and Bethanie Mattek-sands in the doubles on Sunday, following the reverse singles.
The Americans hold an 11-2 winning record against the French, who won their most recent meeting in 2014.
Both teams are missing their highest-ranked player: No. 8 Venus Williams and No. 7 Caroline Garcia.
Garcia remains unavailable for France, preferring to prioritize her singles career.