Garcia upsets Kvitova to draw France level in Fed Cup final

France’s Caroline Garcia defeated two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 7-6 6-3 on Saturday to draw her country level at 1-1 in the Fed Cup final against the Czech Republic.

Caroline Garcia claimed her second win over Petra Kvitova to restore parity in the Fed Cup final.. Reuters/Vincent Kessler

In the opening match of the best of five series, the US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova beat Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 4-6, 16-14 in an epic rubber which lasted nearly four hours.

Pliskova, the world number six, claimed victory having been 5-2 up in the decider and holding two match points at 9-8 in a match which shifted momentum.

Mladenovic, the world number 42, served for victory when leading 12-11. But she was unable to press home her advantage.

The last set was the longest to be contested in a final in the 53 year history of the tournament.

"It was my longest ever match, but I still feel pretty fresh," said 24-year-old Pliskova.
"She served really well so I had to wait for my chances. She found the big serve when she needed it."

Mladenovic, who along with Garcia was recently reinstated in the French team following a suspension for criticising the country's tennis federation at the Olympics, said her match had been draining. "I have played long matches. But nothing compared to this," she said. "It was very tough emotionally as well as physically."

Kvitova, the world number 11, faced 23rd-ranked Garcia fresh from her title run at the WTA Elite Trophy tournament in China which gave the Czech a 19th career crown.

She was favourite to win  and give the Czechs a 2-0 lead as they seek a third consecutive triumph in the women’s team competition.

However, Garcia exploited an error-strewn performance by the Czech left-hander to claim the point to the delight of the partisan crowd in Strasbourg. It was Garcia's fourth win in five Fed Cup singles rubbers this season as France stayed on course to claim a third title after triumphs in 1997 and 2003.

On Sunday, Pliskova is due to play Garcia before Kvitova tackles Mladenovic in the second reverse singles.

Garcia and Mladenovic, who are the world’s top ranked doubles pair, are then set to meet Lucie Hradecka and Barbora Strycova in a clash that could yield the decisive point.