Fed Cup 2015: Semifinal Scores, Results and Updated Schedule
Four of the best tennis-playing nations entered the semifinals of Fed Cup competition this weekend, but only two kept their championship hopes alive.
The women's tennis equivalent of the Davis Cup featured some incredible drama in the early rounds, but with the Czech Republic taking down France and Russia ousting Germany, the field has truly been whittled down to the cream of the crop.
Although it can be argued that there is a lack of individual star power, the two remaining nations all have a ton of depth, which will make for an entertaining final.
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Here is a look at how the action has played out and where every team stands in its pursuit of a world title.
Semifinal Scores
| Semifinals | Czech Republic | France | 3-1, Czech Republic |
| Semifinals | Russia | Germany | 3-2, Russia |
Remaining Schedule
| Nov. 14, 15 | Czech Republic | Russia |
Sunday's Semifinal Results
| Semifinals | Petra Kvitova (CZE) | Caroline Garcia (FRA) | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Semifinals | Kristina Mladenovic and Pauline Parmentier (FRA) | Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova | 0-6, 6-3, 10-8 |
| Semifinals | Andrea Petkovic | Svetlana Kuznetsova | 6-2, 6-1 |
| Semifinals | Angelique Kerber | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | 6-1, 6-0 |
| Semifinals | Elena Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova | Andrea Petkovic and Sabine Lisicki | 6-2, 6-3 |
Each heading into Sunday's action with a 2-0 lead, the Czech Republic and Russia were one win away from going head-to-head in November's final. Both got the job done, but it wasn't without some sweating—especially from the Russian side.
Andrea Petkovic and Angelique Kerber scored early victories for the Germans, forcing a doubles finale that entered with many thinking Russia was about to choke the match away. Elena Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova fortunately had other ideas.
Vesnina and Pavlyuchenkova turned in a stellar all-around match to defeat Andrea Petkovic and Sabine Lisicki 6-2, 6-3, advancing the Russians to their third final in the last five Fed Cups.
"I was nervous, but I was nervous in a good way," Vesnina said, per James Ellingworth of The Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports). "Being a team is very important to us ... and the home support also helped."
The doubles win came after a miserable start in singles play for Russia, which had coasted to a 2-0 lead Saturday. Svetlana Kuznetsova and Pavlyuchenkova combined to win just four total games in their losses to Petkovic and Kerber, respectively.
"I knew I had to go out there and just get the point. Obviously, I was a bit nervous," Kerber said, per Ellingworth. "I played aggressively from start to finish and I got energy from my team."
On the other side, the Czechs got through their match with far more ease. Petra Kvitova won her second straight-sets match in as many days, taking down Caroline Garcia 6-4, 6-4 to render a fifth match unnecessary. France got its only win of the matchup in a three-set thriller between Kristina Mladenovic and Pauline Parmentier and Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova. The deciding set took 18 games to complete before the French got ahead 10-8.
The Czech Republic will be going for its fourth Fed Cup in the last five years. Russia has not won the event since 2008.
Saturday's Semifinal Results
| Semifinals | Lucie Safarova (CZE) | Caroline Garcia (FRA) | 4-6, 7-6(1), 6-1 |
| Semifinals | Petra Kvitova (CZE) | Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) | 6-3, 6-4 |
| Semifinals | Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) | Julia Goerges (GER) | 6-4, 6-4 |
| Semifinals | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) | Sabine Lisicki (GER) | 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 |
The Czech Republic has dominated Fed Cup play in recent years, as it is the defending champion and has won three of the past four titles. That continued Saturday after the Czechs jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the upstart French.
It all began with Lucia Safarova overcoming a 1-0 deficit in sets to upend Carolina Garcia in a three-set thriller. After dropping a second-set tiebreak decisively, the rising French star had little left in the tank, as she allowed Safarova to cruise to a 6-1 triumph in the third.
The second match of the day was a bit more straightforward for the Czechs. Big lefty Petra Kvitova overpowered Kristina Mladenovic in a straight-sets win to put the Czech Republic ahead 2-0 and within one win of advancing to the final.
The two-time Wimbledon champion proved to be too much for her younger and less experienced opponent. Kvitova's huge win not only gave the Czechs a commanding lead, but it also marked her return after a month away from tennis.
According to BBC's Piers Newbery, Kvitova believed she needed to take a brief hiatus from the court:
It seemed to work wonders, and the result left her thrilled, per FedCup.com:
"I'm very happy of course. I was really nervous and didn't know what to expect. After a long break it's difficult to come back as the leader in the team and everyone is expecting at least two points from myself. I'm glad I can bring the first point. I'm happy to be back.
"
The Czechs are very much in the driver's seat in their half of the semifinal draw, and the same can be said for the Russians, as they jumped out to a 2-0 advantage over Germany.
Russia got off to an ideal start Saturday by turning to veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova. Germany, somewhat surprisingly, countered with its lowest-ranked singles player in Julia Goerges, and that decision by captain Barbara Rittner did not pay dividends.
The 29-year-old former French Open and U.S. Open champion defeated Goerges by a 6-4, 6-4 score and added to what was already an impressive career win total in Fed Cup play, according to Erik Gudris of ATN-Tennis.com:
It seemed as though the Germans were destined to tie things up, as Sabine Lisicki won the first set off Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Lisicki then had her opponent on the ropes in the second, but Pavlyuchenkova showed nerves of steel by fighting off a match point and taking a tiebreak. That clearly gave her momentum, as she controlled the third set and put the Russians ahead 2-0.
Per the Fed Cup's official Twitter account, the home crowd in Sochi, Russia, served as a source of inspiration and energy for Pavlyuchenkova:
While it certainly isn't outside the realm of possibility that France and Germany could mount comebacks Sunday, winning three straight matches is a tall order.
The Czechs have the advantage of Kvitova playing another singles match, while Russia will lean on Kuznetsova to net her 28th career Fed Cup win and clinch a berth in the final.
Desperation can lead to great things, though, and it should make for an incredible slate of matches Sunday as both France and Germany look to climb out of the holes they have dug for themselves.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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