Czech Republic takes 1-0 lead in Fed Cup final

Petra Kvitova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova will open the Fed Cup final tie between holders the Czech Republic and Russian Federation in Prague on Saturday (today), following Friday’s draw.

World number four Sharapova hit nine double faults in the match, but broke twice in the second set, while Pliskova squandered three break points.

Sunday’s reverse singles begin with Kvitova playing Sharapova, then Pliskova takes on Pavlyuchenkova.

Sharapova was playing in her first Fed Cup final and against Pliskova for the first time, and she added: “I felt like I was nervous throughout the whole match and made a few errors at inappropriate times, but overall I’m really happy I could win”.

Success for Kvitova piled the pressure on Sharapova, but the Russian responded strongly with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Karolina Pliskova, who was hampered by a poor first-serve percentage.

“It is a bit of a surprise I never played against her, she has been on the tour for a while already”, Sharapova said about the 11th-ranked Pliskova, the rising star of the Czech tennis. “It was hard. I was trying to hold my serve in the second set and then I had an opportunity to break her. I think that game was really key for the second set and maybe for the match”.

Kvitova, the 2011 and 2014 Wimbledon champion, retained her pace in the decider, sweeping the 24-year-old Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 again.

At the end of the third set, “I was thinking, oh gosh, I don’t want to be here anymore”, said Pavlyuchenkova.

Kvitova said the support of a raucous home crowd at the O2 Arena had helped her overcome nerves in the first set as the Czechs set out to defend their title and claim their fourth Fed Cup triumph in five years. “That’s the type of match you wanna see at the Fed Cup final”. In doubles, the Czech pair of Lucie Safarova andBarbora Strycova will play Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.