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Russia, China and Spain through to Fed Cup semi-finals
2008-02-03
Defending champions Russia progressed smoothly into the semi-finals of the Fed Cup on Sunday, while Spain overcame last season's beaten finalists Italy to set up a last-four clash against China. Competition debutant Maria Sharapova helped fire Russia into an unassailable 3-1 lead over Israel, and set up a semi-final against the winner of the USA v Germany tie, which is currently level at 1-1. With the nations tied 1-1 going into Sunday's matches, Australian Open champion Sharapova proved fearless in her battle with Shahar Peer as the number ones went head-to-head in the reverse singles. The Russian routed Peer, who had been undefeated in 11 Fed Cup singles matches 6-1, 6-1. "She actually gave me confidence because she was encouraging the crowd," Sharapova said of Peer. "In a way I felt she was telling me 'I need their help, I can't do it on my own'. It was great, I said to myself I'm going to take my chances and win the match. "I'm glad I could finish it off in style." In the second singles rubber, world number seven Anna Chakvetadze sealed the winning point for the defending champions, having stepped in as a replacement for Dinara Safina, by beating Tzipi Obziler 6-4, 6-2. In Saturday's games, Peer had drawn first blood for Israel with a 0-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Safina, while Sharapova completely outclassed the world number 81 Obziler 6-0, 6-4 in the second rubber. In Beijing, China beat France 3-2 to ensure their first-ever semi-final appearance. The result will boost home hopes for the Summer Olympics here, but China definitely did it the hard way against an under-strength French team. China needed just one more win on Sunday to move into the final Fed Cup four after pulling ahead in the tie 2-0 on Saturday with two singles victories. But without their second-ranked player Peng Shuai, who had left the country to play in Europe after her singles win on Saturday, they hit trouble when top-ranked Li Na lost to the powerful French baseliner Virginie Razzano. Then doubles specialist Yan Zi, filling in for Peng, lost to Nathalie Dechy 6-3, 6-2 in the second singles match Sunday, and suddenly the match was level 2-2 with only the doubles rubber to play. In the decider, China fielded 2006 Wimbledon champions Yan and Zheng Jie, back from a 2007 season disrupted by injury. The pair won 7-5, 7-6, clinching the tie-breaker 7-5 against Dechy and Razzano, making a rare appearance in the doubles discipline for the French. In Naples, Spain shocked last season's finalists Italy when Anabel Medina Garrigues stunned Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-1 to complete a 3-0 clean sweep for the visitors. The 2006 champions cannot now overturn their deficit with only two rubbers remaining. Garrigues followed up her fine straight sets victory over Flavia Pennetta on Saturday by adding Schiavone to her list of victims. Schiavone had also lost her first singles match on Saturday in three sets against Nuria Llagostera Vives, ranked more than 100 places lower than the Italian in the WTA rankings. It was a sorry fall from grace for the Italians, and on home territory, as the same team beat Justine Henin's Belgium to the title in 2006 before coming up just short against Russia in last year's final.
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