Fed Cup Gallery: Check, But Not Checkmate...
Published November 03, 2012 12:00
The Czech team stepped out at a ceremony this week, ahead of this weekend's Fed Cup by BNP Paribas final.
Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova are the Czech Republic's two leading ladies, ranked No.17 and No.8 in singles.
And Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic are Serbia's two leading ladies, ranked No.12 and No.22, respectively.
Before this year, Serbia had never even won a World Group tie - this year they have won two to reach the final.
The Czech Republic is no stranger to winning the Fed Cup, though, having conquered the event just last year.
Lucie Safarova and Klara Zakopalova shared a laugh at the announcement ceremony for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas.
Andrea Hlavackova is a big part of the team, alongside Lucie Hradecka one of the top doubles teams in the world.
The action kicked off at the sold-out O2 Arena in Prague on Saturday, with Lucie Safarova playing Ana Ivanovic.
Ana Ivanovic was broken early in both sets and never quite found her range, losing to Lucie Safarova, 64 63.
Lucie Safarova high-fived some happy Czech teammates after beating Ana Ivanovic for the fourth time in a row.
Next up was Petra Kvitova, who was playing her first match since withdrawing from Istanbul with a viral illness.
After a slow start against Jelena Jankovic, falling behind 4-2 in the first set, Petra Kvitova caught fire...
Petra Kvitova reeled off nine games in a row from 4-2 down in the first set to build a devastating 64 50 lead.
Petra Kvitova would complete the win two games later, 64 61, putting the Czechs ahead 2-0 in the Fed Cup final.
Serbia will need to win both reverse singles rubbers and beat the No.2 doubles team in the world on Sunday...
Topics: fed cup final, tournaments, news, photos or videos, lucie hradecka, andrea hlavackova, klara zakopalova,
