Karolina Pliskova beat Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova 6-3 6-4 to level the Fed Cup Final to 2-2 sending the Fed Cup final into a decisive doubles rubber match
Karolina Pliskova met Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova in the second reverse rubber match on Sunday afternoon at the O2 Arena in Prague. This match pit together the two losers of the first two matches on the first day. Pliskova won their only previous head-to-head match in Dubai earlier this year.
Pliskova saved two break points in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. There was little to separate the two players in the first five games. Pavlyuchenova saved a second break point with a big serve in the sixth game to draw level to 3-all. Pliskova held her third service game with two consecutive aces to take the 4-3 lead. In four service games Pliskova fired five aces.
Pliskova got the first break of the match on her fourth break point of the match in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes as Pavlyuchenkova made a forehand error. Pliskova rallied from a break point down to serve out the first set with three consecutive winners.
Pliskova went up a set and a break after pavlyuchenkova made a double fault. Pavlyuchenkova earned three break.back point chances at 0-40 in the second game and converted her first chance as Pliskova made a double fault. Pavlyuchenkova went up 3-2 with a forehand winner.
Pliskova saved two break points with an ace in a long eighth game to draw level to 4-4. In the ninth game the Czech player broke serve for 5-4 with a forehand return winner before serving to draw the Fed Cup Final to 2-2. The Czech player sealed the win on her first match point with a service winner. .
“It’s one of my biggest wins in my career. It was not easy to play in these conditions but I received the support from my teammates. I really enjoyed the match and I am really happy that I won”, said Pliskova
Russian captain Anastasya Myskina has chosen Elena Vesnina and Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova for the doubles team. Czech captain Petr Pala has also made a surprising decision as Karolina Pliskova will return to the court to replace Lucie Safarova in the doubles team. She will team up with Barbora Strycova.
In the last final between these two teams Czech Republic beat Russia 3-2 after the doubles match in Moscow in 2011.
