Czechs lead U.S. 2-0 in Fed Cup tennis

PRAGUE — Barbora Strycova and Katerina Siniakova won their singles for the Czech Republic to take a commanding 2-0 over the defending champion United States in the Fed Cup final on Saturday.

Strycova rallied from a set down to defeat Sofia Kenin 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4.

Siniakova stretched the advantage by dispatching Alison Riske 6-3, 7-6 (2) to the delight of more than 14,000 fans at Prague’s O2 Arena.

“It couldn’t be better,” Siniakova said. “But it’s not finished yet and we need to be ready for tomorrow. We need to stay focused and I believe that we will win.”

The Czechs are one win away from their sixth title in eight years.

U.S. captain captain Kathy Rinaldi gave credit to the Czech players but said, “I really think we could have been up 2-0, too.

“It was just a day of missed opportunities in my opinion. Anything can happen in the Fed Cup and tomorrow’s another day.”

To win, the 18-time champion U.S. would have to become the first team to come back from 2-0 down in the final.

In Sunday’s reverse singles, Kenin will go against Siniakova, and Riske will meet Strycova.

In doubles, the last match of the final, Riske and Danielle Collins are scheduled to meet No. 1-ranked pair Barbora Krejcikova and Siniakova on the indoor hard-court.

TOWEL CONTROVERSY: In Milan, towels have unexpectedly become a hotly-debated subject in tennis this week.

A number of new initiatives are being trialed at the second edition of ATP’s Next Gen Finals in Milan over the past week, one of which is the towel-rack, with players having to fetch their own towels from boxes stationed in the corners of the court.

This is a welcome sight for many who have been made uneasy by the way some tennis stars interact with ball kids when being handed the towel.

“We’re looking at all the elements of tennis and the show around tennis,” ATP President Chris Kermode said in an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday. “We’re looking at shot clocks, the reduced warmups and that’s just part of it.”