Nastase suspended as Belarus and US reach Fed Cup final

PARIS: Ilie Nastase was suspended from all International Tennis Federation (ITF) event for his foulmouthed and abusive behaviour during Romania’s scandal-hit Fed Cup tie with Britain as Belarus and the United States booked their places in the final.

Nastase, 70, a former world No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam title winner, was kicked out of the tie on Saturday after swearing at the umpire, Britain’s pregnant captain Anne Keothavong and their number one player Johanna Konta.

An ITF statement read: “The ITF’s internal adjudication panel has issued Ilie Nastase with a provisional suspension under the Fed Cup regulations for a breach of the Fed Cup welfare policy at the tie in Constanta.”

Amidst the controversy, Romania won the tie when Irina-Camelia Begu beat Heather Watson to qualify for the World Group in 2018 while Britain were relegated to the Europe-Africa Zone.

The drama in Constanta overshadowed what was meant to be the weekend’s main piece of business – the semi-finals.

In Minsk, 18-year-old Aryna Sabalenka put Belarus into the final for the first time with a stunning upset of Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland.

Sabalenka, who is 125th in the world, won 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 over the 54th-ranked Golubic to give Belarus an unassailable 3-1 advantage.

Earlier, Aliaksandra Sasnovich put Belarus into a 2-1 lead as she upset Timea Bacsinszky 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).

In November’s final, Belarus will host 17-time winners the United States who knocked out defending champions the Czech Republic 3-2 in Florida.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Coco Vandeweghe downed Kristyna Pliskova and Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 6-3 in the crucial doubles.

Level at 1- 1 overnight, Vandeweghe defeated Siniakova 6-4, 6-0 before 17-year-old Marketa Vondrousova edged Lauren Davis 6-2, 7-5 in the second reverse singles. — AFP