Tags:
Journalism of Courage
PARIS, July 14: France will play The Netherlands in the final of the Federation Cup after hard-fought victories over Belgium and the Czech Republic respectively in the semi-finals this weekend.
France, under captain Yannick Noah, reached their first Fed Cup final with a 3-2 win over Belgium. Nathalie Tauziat and Alexandra Fusai clinched the decisive doubles in a three-set thriller in Nice. Miriam Oremans was The Netherlands’ heroine in Prague.
She defeated Adriana Gersi of the Czech Republic to level the tie at 2-2 before teaming up with Manon Bollegraf to secure the decisive doubles 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) over Jana Novotna and Eva Martincova.
France had lost eight semi-finals in this women’s team event since 1964 but finally buried their jinx with a gutsy display against near-neighbours Belgium. Level at 1-1 overnight, the French took control of the tie when Sandrine Testud defeated Sabine Appelmans 6-2, 6-4. However, the Belgians levelled the match at 2-2 when Dominique van Roost proved far too strong for Fusai. Van roost saw off Fusai 6-3, 6-3.
The experienced Nathalie Tauziat then teamed up with Fusai to secure France’s place in the final, though they were made to fight against Els Callens and van Roost.
The Belgians took the first set before succumbing 3-6, 6-2, 7-5, though they saved three match points at 3-5 in the decider.
In Prague, Novotna, suffering from injured stomach muscles, got the hosts off to a flier with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Brenda Schultz-McCarthy, putting the Czech’s 2-1 up.
However, world No 56 Oremans saved the Dutch with a nail-biting 1-6, 6-2, 9-7 defeat of Gersi.
Oremans followed that up by winning the doubles.
In the Group One playoffs Spain defeated Australia 3-2 at hope island, with comfortable singles victories for Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Maria Luisa Serna on the final day proving decisive in preserving the Spaniards’ Group One status.
Sanchez Vicario beat Annabel Ellwood 6-2, 6-0 and Serna was a 6-1 6-3 winner over Rachel McQuillan, putting the Spaniards 3-1 up.
Germany’s doubles team of Anke Huber and Meike Babel went to the brink before clinching a 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (4/7), 6-1 win over French Open winner Iva Majoli and Mirjana Lucic of Croatia, giving the Germans victory 3-2 in Frankfurt.
World No one Hingis wasted little time seeing off Florencia Labat 6-2, 6-1 to give Switzerland an unbeatable 3-0 lead over Argentina in Zurich. She joined Emmanuele Gagliardi to complete a 5-0 whitewash after Patty Schnyder also won her second singles today.
It meant Switzerland had qualified for the world group for the first time.
