PARIS, 16 July 2006 — Belgium and Italy took huge strides toward a Fed Cup final showdown yesterday while China hammered home their growing status as a future power in the sport.
Belgium, the 2001 champions, struggled to open up a 2-0 lead over 17-time winners the United States, who were missing the Williams sisters as well as Lindsay Davenport, in Ostend in their semifinal.
Without French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, all eyes were on world No. 2 Kim Clijsters but she dropped the first set against world No. 67 Jamea Jackson, before recovering to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Earlier Kirsten Flipkens saw off veteran Jill Craybas 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.
Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta brought the feel-good factor back to Italian sport, following Friday’s announcement of the football match-fixing verdicts, when they gave their country a 2-0 lead over four-time winners Spain in their semifinal in Zaragoza.
Schiavone needed five match points before wrapping up a 6-4, 7-5 win over Lordes Dominguez-Lino while Pennetta cruised past her former doubles partner Anabel Madinah Garrigues 6-3, 6-0. “I’m happy because I played a perfect match,” said Pennetta after her match played in sapping 32-degree heat.
Italy need just one more win today to reach their first Fed Cup final and hopefully ease a little of the misery caused by the relegations of Serie A giants Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina.
In the playoffs, which will decide the countries to play in the World Group next year, China took a big step toward joining the elite for the first time as Li Na and Zheng Jie established a 2-0 lead over Germany in Beijing.
Li, who became the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal when she made the last eight at Wimbledon this year, eased past Kristina Barrois 6-3, 6-4.
Zheng, who claimed China’s first Wimbledon title with doubles partner Yan Zi, beat Kathrin Woerle 6-4, 7-5.
Li said her confidence had been boosted by her performance in London, where she was eventually ousted by Clijsters. “I was playing at home and after Wimbledon my confidence increased a lot. Every match I try my best to win,” said Li.
Zheng recovered from 4-2 down in the first set to beat Woerle, ranked more than 100 places below her at 154th, earning the winning break at 6-5 in the second set.
In Tokyo, Japanese No. 1 Ai Sugiyama overcame a leg-cramp scare to give her country a commanding 2-0 lead over Austria.
The former world doubles No. 1 fresh from her victory over Martina Hingis at Wimbledon, cramped up in both sets before rallying to a 7-5, 6-1 win over Melanie Klaffner.
Akiko Morigami saved two set points at 4-5 in the first set before registering a 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 victory over Barbara Schwartz.
At Cagnes-sur-Mer, Nicole Vaidiosva won a marathon rubber to beat Tatiana Golovin 6-1, 3-6, 11-9 and hand the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over France, who are without Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo.
But Nathalie Dechy then leveled for the 1997 and 2003 champions, coming from behind to beat Lucie Safarova 5-7, 6-3, 9-7.
In Umag, Russia are 2-0 ahead against Croatia thanks to Anna Chakvetadze’s 7-6 (7 2), 7-6 (7 3) win against Ivan Lisjak and Elena Dementieva’s 6-3, 7-5 dismissal of Sanja Ancic.