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Tennis: Romania stun champions Czech Republic in Fed Cup

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/02/11/20190211-niculescu.jpg"/><figcaption>Romania&#x27;s Monica Niculescu celebrates with captain Florin Segarceanu after her doubles match against Czech Republic&#x27;s Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. David W Cerny, Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>PARIS -- Romania reached the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time on Sunday with a 3-2 win over defending champions Czech Republic as Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu stunned Wimbledon and French Open winners Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in a marathon doubles decider.Begu and Niculescu triumphed 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4 in a thrilling rubber in Ostrava which lasted just seven minutes short of three hours.Krejcikova and Siniakova, the world&#x27;s leading pair, trailed a break early in the final set before hitting back to 4-4.But the Romanian pair broke straight back for 5-4 before Begu, ranked at 35 in doubles, served out the tie.The result ended the 10-time champions Czechs&#x27; hopes of making the Fed Cup semi-finals for an 11th successive year and represented their first home defeat in a decade.Earlier, Simona Halep won the battle of the former world number ones with an epic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 triumph over Karolina Pliskova, the Czechs&#x27; highest-ranked player in the absence of world number three Petra Kvitova.&quot;I am happy to have won against such a tough opponent,&quot; said Halep after winning her second singles of the weekend. &quot;It was my best and biggest win in the Fed Cup.&quot;Siniakova, who won both her singles rubbers in the 2018 final triumph over the United States, pulled the Czechs level by seeing off Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-4, 6-2.French Open champion Halep had said that winning a first Fed Cup for Romania was now the top priority on her &quot;bucket list&quot; having finally broken her Grand Slam drought in Paris last year.Romania will now travel to France in April&#x27;s semi-finals while the other last-four clash sees Belarus up against Australia.In Liege, Caroline Garcia crowned her comeback from a two-year Fed Cup exile by leading France past Belgium and into a fourth semi-final in five years.French number one Garcia brushed aside Belgium&#x27;s top player Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-3 to follow her opening day three-set win over Alison Van Uytvanck.Her win gave two-time champions France an unassailable 3-0 lead in the tie before Belgium grabbed a consolation point in the dead doubles rubber.&quot;Two years is not that long in a tennis career,&quot; said Garcia who opted out of the Fed Cup in 2017 following an ugly public spat with her teammates.&quot;But I always said that I would come back and that it was important to me.&quot;<div>- Aussies edge USA -</div>At Asheville, North Carolina, won in both singles and doubles as Australia edged the 18-time champion United States 3-2 in a tie that came down to the wire.Barty notched up a 10th successive win in the tournament by seeing off Madison Keys 6-4, 6-1 to give Australia a 2-1 lead.Danielle Collins levelled the tie when the Australian Open semi-finalist, making her Fed Cup debut, saw off Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.Barty then teamed with Priscilla Hon to beat Collins and Nicole Melichar 6-4, 7-5 in the decisive doubles.Belarus coasted into the semi-finals when world number nine Aryna Sabalenka defeated Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1 for an unassailable 3-0 lead over Germany in Braunschweig.&quot;I am so happy and our team is so happy. It&#x27;s unbelievable to win,&quot; said the 20-year-old Sabalenka who dropped just five games in four sets all weekend.The semi-finals take place on the weekend of April 20-21.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div><div>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.</div>

Romania reached the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time on Sunday with a 3-2 win over defending champions Czech Republic.

Romania reached the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time on Sunday with a 3-2 win over defending champions Czech Republic.