China beat France in Fed Cup
2008-02-03 17:35
Beijing - China beat France 3-2 in a Fed Cup World Group nailbiter here Sunday, moving into the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time.
The result will boost home hopes for the Summer Olympics here, but China definitely did it the hard way against an under-strength French team.
China needed just one more win on Sunday to move into the final Fed Cup four after pulling ahead in the tie 2-0 on Saturday with two singles victories.
But without their second-ranked player Peng Shuai, who had left the country to play in Europe after her singles win on Saturday, they hit trouble when top-ranked Li Na lost to the powerful French baseliner Virginie Razzano.
Then doubles specialist Yan Zi, filling in for Peng, lost to Nathalie Dechy 6-3 6-2 in the second singles match on Sunday, and suddenly the match was level 2-2 with only the doubles rubber to play.
In the decider, China fielded 2006 Wimbledon champions Yan and Zheng Jie, back from a 2007 season disrupted by injury.
The pair won 7-5 7-6, clinching the tie-breaker 7-5 against Dechy and Razzano, making a rare appearance in the doubles discipline for the French.
France went to China without their top three players - former world number one Amelie Mauresmo, Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli and Tatiana Golovin, also ranked in the world top 20.
- AFP