Serena leads U.S. into playoffs

Worcester, MA / Serena Williams recorded a singles victory on Sunday to move the U.S. into the Fed Cup World Group Playoffs.

The 2011 U.S. Open runner-up Williams improved to 2-0 this week by overcoming Anastasiya Yakimova 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 at DCU Center in Worcester.

The festivities in Worcester wrapped up with a dead doubles rubber, which the U.S. won 6-1, 6-2 with Venus Williams and Liezel Huber blasting Kustova and Yakimova to polish off a 5-0 win. It marked Venus’ first tennis since pulling out of last year’s U.S. Open in the second round as she battled Sjogren’s syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.

The victories gave the host Americans an 3-0 lead in their best-of-five World Group II battle against Belarus. Stuttgart, Germany / Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova won her singles match on Sunday to send the reigning champion Czech Republic into the Fed Cup semifinals for a second straight year.

The Czechs entered Sunday’s action with a commanding 2-0 lead over host Germany and extended their lead to an insurmountable 3-0 advantage when the world No. 2 Kvitova came from behind to beat Sabine Lisicki 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1 at Stuttgart Arena. Moscow, Russia / Svetlana Kuznetsova outlasted Silvia Soler- Espinosa in the fourth rubber to give Russia an 3-1 lead over Spain in their best-of-five Fed Cup quarter-final at Olympic Stadium.

Russia entered Sunday’s action with a 2-0 lead, but Carla Suarez Navarro brought Spain within one in the day’s first reverse singles match with a 6-0, 6-3 straight-set victory over Nadia Petrova.

Soler-espinosa then battled back after dropping the first set to Kuznetsova, but failed to convert on her two break chances in the third to fall 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. MONTPELIER, France / Top seed Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic toppled defending champion Gael Monfils of France 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to win the ATP event in Montpellier on Sunday.

Monfils will now prepare to travel with the French Davis Cup team to Vancouver next Friday for their tie against Canada.