Petra Kvitova outfoxes Francesca Schiavone – Fed Cup WG Semis 2012
World number three, Petra Kvitova, outshined Francesca Schiavone in straight sets in the Fed Cup World Group semi-finals 2012 on Sunday. She formulated a 6-4, 7-6(1) victory against the 31-year-old to not only win the third point for Czech Republic but also
to secure a final round place.
The Czech number one showed solid tennis at the CEZ Arena in Ostrava, Czech Republic and dumped Schiavone. After earning this glory, she avenged her loss at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open three years ago against the Italian veteran and took her country
to the final showdown.
"Francesca played unbelievable tennis," the jubilant Kvitova was quoted in a post-match conference. "Every Fed Cup I'm playing I'm nervous, so I'm really happy to win today. It's an unbelievable feeling - I really wanted to be in the final again."
"I had a lot of chances, but she played so well in those moments," the Italian number one commented. "She played some good points when I was serving for the set and in the tie-break as well. When you're so close with the score, you never know."
Kvitova nervously stepped on the red clay courts and fell at 3-4 after losing her serve twice. However, she made a stunning reply and reeled off the following three games in a row, subsequently sealing the opener by winning six games to four.
The 22-year-old lost her path in the start of the following set and suffered the first blow in the fifth game to trail at 2-4. However, she remained consistency in her game and not only recovered in the tenth game but also grabbed the set with a 7-6(1) score
line after cruising to a 6-0 lead in the tie-breaker.
In the fourth rubber, Andrea Hlavackova lost to Sara Errani in gruelling three sets. She got in action in the second set but lost her track again in the final set, ultimately suffering a 6-2, 2-6, 2-6 loss.
However, Hlavackova teamed up with Lucie Hradecka to manipulate a 5-6 retirement victory against the Italian tandem, Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta. As a result, the Czech team registered a 4-1 victory against the Italians.
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