Italy’s Vinci seals Fed Cup final against Russia

MILAN: Roberta Vinci secured Italy’s fifth Fed Cup final appearance in eight years yesterday after battling past Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic to give the hosts an unassailable lead on the red clay of Palermo.
Vinci’s 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 win over Safarova handed Italy a 3-1 lead ahead of the dead doubles rubber to be played later.
Italy will now meet Russia, winners Sunday over Slovakia, in the final on Nov. 2-3.
The hosts had powered to a 2-0 lead on Saturday after straight singles victories for Sara Errani and Vinci over Safarova and Petra Kvitova respectively.
Former Wimbledon winner Kvitova gave the Czechs hope of launching a fightback when she defeated Errani 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 on Sunday.
However any momentum gained, and indeed the day’s play, was soon halted by rain which had already disrupted proceedings, prompting the decision to carry the tie over to the next day.
Vinci, who was tied at 1-1 from her previous two encounters with Safarova, showed little fear on her way to a commanding 6-3 win in the first set.
Safarova put up more resistance in the second and after spurning the chance to close out the set while serving at 5-4, she made amends in the tiebreak where she dropped just two points to force a decider.
The Czech burst into a 2-0 lead in the third set but Vinci broke back and maintained the pressure to take a 5-3 lead before sealing victory on her third match point.
Serena and Venus Williams delivered singles victories to lift the United States to a playoff victory over Sweden that will keep America in the elite World Group.
Venus Williams persevered to deliver the clinching point, sealing a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Johanna Larsson on her eighth match point at Delray Beach.
“She started lifting her game, but thanks to all the support I was able to give it to the US,” said Williams, who had seven of her 11 double faults in the second set.
World No.1 Serena Williams had put the Americans on track Saturday with a win over Larsson, and she put the 17-time champion United States up 2-1 with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Arvidsson on Sunday.
Serena fired 10 aces and broke Arvidsson twice in each set.
“Today I played better — I had to going up against the No.1 player from Sweden who had a really good win over our star player in America,” said Williams, who stretched her perfect Fed Cup singles record to 10-0.
Five-time champions Spain ensured their return to the World Group after easing to a 4-0 win in Barcelona over Japan, who drop back into World Group II after just a year in the top tier.
With Sunday’s play starting with Spain 2-0 up, the tie was swiftly decided as Spanish No.1 Carla Suarez Navarro beat Japan’s Ayumi Morita 6-3, 7-5.
In Stuttgart, Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Sabine Lisicki sealed victory for Germany in the deciding doubles against Serbia.
They saw off Vesna Dolonc and Aleksandra Krunic 6-2, 6-4 for a 3-2 triumph.
Meanwhile, the tie between Switzerland and Australia, which has yet to get under way, will be played later in the day after rain washed out the Saturday and Sunday in Chiasso.