Czech Republic beat France 3-1 in Fed Cup semifinal
Ostrava, April 20 (IANS)
Defending champions Czech Republic beat France 3-1 to advance to the Fed Cup tennis final in the second day's game of the last four stage.
World No.4 Petra Kvitova beat French player Caroline Garcia in straight sets of 6-4, 6-4 and got the winning point for the Czech team, while the French won the doubles on Sunday.
In the opening rubber on Saturday, Lucie Safarova beat Garcia in three sets. The World No.13 took an hour and 58 minutes to defeat 29th-ranked Garcia 4-6, 7-6 (1), 6-1 to give the Czech team a 1-0 lead.
Czech players Barbora Strycova and Safarova lost to French players Kristina Mladenovic and Pauline Parmentier 6-0, 3-6, 8-10 in the doubles game.
The Fed Cup final will be held on November 14-15, this year, and the Czech team will meet the Russian team in the final. This is the the fourth time for Czech team to reach the Fed Cup final in the past five years.