ROMANIA STUN CHAMPIONS CZECH REPUBLIC

Paris, Feb. 11: 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.

Krejcikova and Siniakova, the world's leading pair, trailed a break early in the final set before hitting back to 4- 4. But the Romanian pair broke straight back for 5- 4 before Begu, ranked at 35 in doubles, served out the tie.

The result ended the 10time champions Czechs’ hopes of making the Fed Cup semi- finals for an 11th successive year and represented their first home defeat in a decade.

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.

“I am happy to have won against such a tough opponent,” said Halep after winning her second singles of the weekend.

“It was my best and biggest win in the Fed Cup.” Siniakova, who won both her singles rubbers in the 2018 final triumph over the United States, pulled the Czechs level by seeing off Mihaela Buzarnescu 6- 4, 6- 2.

French Open champion Halep had said that winning a first Fed Cup for Romania was now the top priority on her “bucket list” having finally broken her Grand Slam drought in Paris last year.

Romania will now travel to France in April’s semifinals while the other lastfour clash sees Belarus up against the United States or Australia.