Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic claim the doubles match win over Monica Niculescu and Simona Halep to send the French team into the Fed Cup final against Australia
Last year’s Roland Garros champion and world number 2 Simona Halep came back from one set down to beat Caroline Garcia 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-4 in a marathon match after 2 hours and 57 minutes to give Romania a 2-1 lead putting her team one win away from reaching their first Fed Cup in history.
Halep converted six of her eight break points. Garcia broke four times from her 13 break point opportunities and made 59 unforced errors.
Garcia earned a double break at the start of the first set to build up a 4-0 lead. Halep pulled both breaks back to draw level to 4-4. Halep broke for the third time to take a 5-4 lead earning her chance to serve for the first set. Halep went up a 30-0 lead, but Garcia came back after a double fault from the Romanian player to break serve for 5-5. The French player held serve with a drop-shot to take a 6-5 lead and earned two set points at 6-5. Halep saved them and held her serve to set up a tie-break. The Romanian player hit a forehand winner to earn a set point at 5-5. Garcia won her two service points to take a 7-6 lead. The French player converted her third set point, when Halep hit her backhand into the net.
Halep broke serve in the second game to race out to a 3-0 lead. Garcia broke back in the fifth game to draw level to 3-3. Halep earned her second break in the eighth game with a backhand down the line to take a 5-3 lead. Halep fought back from 0-30 in the ninth game to earn two set points with down the line backhand winners. Garcia saved them, but Halep converted her third set point with a forehand winner down the line.
Halep fended off break points in her first two service games, but she was able to hold her serve. Halep held her serve with two forehand winners to draw level to 4-4 after a hard-fought game.
Halep earned an early break at the start of the third set. She broke again with a forehand winner to take a 5-4 lead. Garcia went up 15-30 on Halep’s serve, but the Romanian won the final three points to close out the match.
In the second Sunday’s match Pauline Parmentier stopped her four-match to edge Irina Camelia Begu 6-3 2-6 6-2.
Parmentier did not face any break points to win the first set 6-3. Parmentier broke serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead, after Begu netted a backhand on the third break point. The French player held on her next service games and sealed her set point after Begu hit her forehand wide.
Begu bounced back by breaking serve in the fourth game of the second set to open up a 3-1 lead. The Romanian player sealed the second set with a double break after two double faults from Parmentier. Parmentier went up an early break at the start of the third set and held serve at love to open up a 4-2 lead. Parmentier broke again for 5-2 after Begu picked an ankle injury. Parmentier served out the match in the eighth game to draw the tie level to 2-2.
The semifinal was decided by the doubles match, where Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia came back from one set down to beat Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu 5-7 6-3 6-4. Garcia closed out the match on the first match point.
Niculescu hit a drop-shot return winner to break serve for 6-5 in the 11th game. The Romanian player hit a lob winner to earn three set points. She converted the second chance with another lob.
In the second set Garcia hit an overhead to break serve in the fourth game for 3-1. The French player hit a crosscourt backhand to clinch a second break for the home team for 5-1. The Romanian team pulled one break back but Mladenovic sealed the win for France with a volley.
The third set went on serve with no breaks, before Mladenovic earned a break point with a return winner. France broke for 5-4, as Halep made a double fault. Garcia went down 15-30, as she was serving for the match, but she came back to earn a match point. She converted ther first chance with a big serve after 2 hous and 37 minutes.
France will face Australia in the Fed Cup final next November. France will be bidding to win their third Fed Cup titles after their triumphs in 1997 and 2003.
