Romania stun Czech, enter Fed Cup semis

PARIS: Romania reached the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time on Sunday with a 3-2 win over defending champions Czech Republic as Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu stunned Wimbledon and French Open winners Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in a marathon doubles decider.

Begu and Niculescu triumphed 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4 in a thrilling rubber in Ostrava which lasted just seven minutes short of three hours.

Earlier Simona Halep won the battle of the former world number ones with an epic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 triumph over Karolina Pliskova, the Czechs’ highest-ranked player in the absence of world number three Petra Kvitova.

Romania will now travel to France in April’s semi-finals while the other last-four clash sees Belarus up against either the United States or Australia.

MICKELSON LEADS

SAN FRANCISCO: Phil Mickelson held a three-shot lead on 18-under par with two holes remaining as darkness halted play in the weather-hit final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday. Scott Stallings (66) was in the clubhouse on 15-under 272, tied for second with Mickelson’s playing partner and overnight leader Paul Casey. Jason Day (68) and Kim Si-woo (68) were two strokes back on 13-under 274.

RAILWAYS WIN

HISAR: Railways continued their fine form as they won their third match of the Senior Women National Championship 2019 (A Division) by beating Hockey Karnataka 4-0.

In the other Pool A encounter, Odisha registered their first win, defeating Rajasthan 5-2. Gangpur-Odisha played out a 2-2 draw with Chhattisgarh.