Kristina Mladenovic into fed cup 2018. The best moments

his is a Fed Cup by BNP Paribas tie that Kristina Mladenovic will remember for a very long time.

Without the support of Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet, France looked set for a fall at the first hurdle in their World Group tie at La Roche Sur Yon, just as it did last year.

However the tall blonde was having none of it this time and almost single-handedly carried Les Bleus to victory. After securing both points in the singles she joined forces with the Fed Cup rookie and a teammate from junior days, Amandine Hesse, ranked No. 227 in the world, to win the fifth and final doubles rubber against Belgium.

What will have made it all the more satisfying was that her performances here have come off the back of a torrid last six months, during which Mladenovic lost 15 consecutive matches and her place in the Top 10 world rankings.

But all that dissipated when she and Hesse defeated Elise Mertens and Kirsten Flipkens 64 26 62 to earn a place in the semifinals in which it will face USA in France.

Yannick Noah, the France captain, cannot wait, not least to welcome Serena and Venus Williams to his country. “I’m looking forward to seeing them, it’s been a long time,” he said.” The first time I met them they were little girls and now they’re doing great. It would be an honour to play against them.

“So I say, ‘Serena and Venus please come, we’re going to treat you well, we’re gonna play at the Stade de France, 82,000 people – screaming.”