Belarus complete surprise victory over Netherlands
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. PARIS: With or without Victoria Azarenka, Belarus can still succeed on the tennis court.
The former top-ranked player is taking time out with her baby son, but Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Aryna Sabalenka stepped up yesterday to build an insurmountable 3-1 lead over the Netherlands in the Fed Cup quarter-finals in Minsk.
Sasnovich is ranked 104 places below Dutch world No.24 Kiki Bertens, but didn’t let it show as she broke Bertens’ serve seven times in a 6-3, 6-4 win.
Next up was 18-year-old Sabalenka, who dug deep to beat veteran Michaelle Krajicek 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 and put Belarus in the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time.
Sasnovich battled back from a set down to beat Krajicek 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 while Bertens won 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in her first ever meeting with Sabalenka on Saturday.
Belarus will face either Switzerland or France in April’s semi-finals.
Switzerland were 1-1 against France in Geneva while defending champions the Czech Republic also split the opening rubbers with Spain in Ostrava on Saturday.
The United States were closing in on a 2-0 lead over Germany when rain halted action in Hawaii.
Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky overcame being stung by a wasp to beat French rival Alize Cornet on Saturday.
Bacsinszky downed Cornet 7-5, 6-4 but only after needing treatment when she was stung on her arm by a wasp at 3-3 in the first set of the clash at Geneva’s Palexpo arena.
The Swiss No.1 immediately dunked her left elbow in a courtside bucket of water before leaving the court for further treatment on the sting.
When she returned, she broke Cornet’s serve before going on to secure eventual victory on a fourth match point.
“Who would have thought that we would have wasps in Switzerland in February,” said Bacsinszky, the world No.16.
France, the runners-up to the Czechs last season, eventually levelled the quarter-final when 23rd-ranked Kristina Mladenovic eased past her best friend Belinda Bencic 6-3, 6-4.
The Czechs were tied 1-1 with Spain after No.1 players Karolina Pliskova and Garbine Muguruza won their opening rubbers.
World No.7 Muguruza, the French Open champion, beat 17th-ranked Barbora Strycova 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 before third-ranked Pliskova levelled the tie after seeing off world No.70 Lara Arruabarrena 6-4, 7-5.
The Czechs are seeking their fourth straight Fed Cup title after winning five of the last six editions of the team competition. Spain last won the trophy in 1998.
The winners of the tie will face either 17-time champions United States or Germany.
Alison Riske put the Americans up 1-0 with a 7-6 (12/10), 6-2 victory over Andrea Petkovic, in a tie that started on an awkward note when an outdated version of the German national anthem was performed.
It was the start of a tough day for Germany. After Riske’s win, America’s shock Australian Open semi-finalist CoCo Vandeweghe took a 6-3, 3-1 lead over Julia Goerges before rain stopped play for the day — the German also tweaking a knee when she slipped on a rain-slicked baseline.