Petra Kvitova marked her return from a two-month break with victory as the world No. 4 comfortably defeated Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets to give defending champions Czech Republic a commanding 2-0 lead against France in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas semifinals.
After Lucie Safarova had saved five match points in her 46 76(1) 61 victory against Caroline Garcia in one hour and 58 minutes, Kvitova took 81 minutes to see off Mladenovic 63 64, the Czech feeling refreshed and revitalised after her period away from the sport due to exhaustion. Kvitova now has the chance to seal victory and a fourth final in five years for her nation when she takes on world No. 29 Garcia in the first of Sunday’s reverse singles rubbers on the fast indoor court at the Cez Arena.
“I am very happy,” said Kvitova. “It was a difficult match for me. I was really nervous. I didn’t know what I should expect of myself.
After this quite long break, it’s always difficult to come back and play.
I am glad I brought the first point and that we are leading 2-0.”
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario