BRNO, Czech Republic, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The Czech Republic booked a place in the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time in over a decade after securing a 4-1 win over favourites Spain on Sunday.
Lucie Safarova, a late replacement for compatriot Iveta Benesova, battled back in the second set to defeat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4 6-3 before Petra Kvitova secured the winning point with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Nuria Llagostera Vives.
Benesova and Kveta Peschke completed the scoreline by brushing aside Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-4 6-2 in the doubles.
World number 30 Suarez Navarro was unable to reproduce the form that carried her to the quarter-finals of last month’s Australian Open and lost both of her matches in Brno.
“The city is different, the play is different, so it is not the same here as in Australia,” the Spaniard told Czech Television. “It is a different week and different match.”
Five-times champions and 2008 finalists Spain were expected to roll over the Czechs since they held a 2-0 record over the hosts.
But supported by a vocal home crowd, the Czech team attacked more often to gain the upper hand on the indoor carpet court.
“The Czech players did very well. This surface is very fast for us… the Czech players were more aggressive,” Spanish captain Miguel Margets Lobato said.
The Czechs reached the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1997 and will face either the United States at home or Argentina away in April.
The teams were level at 1-1 after the opening two singles matches but the Spaniards were left frustrated on Sunday.
“The Fed Cup is entirely something else than when one plays on their own,” said 22-year-old Brno native Safarova. “Nobody wants to disappoint the team.”
The Czechs have also won the Fed Cup five times but won the last of their titles in 1988 when the country was still part of Czechoslovakia.
“We are here like a team… and we’re very happy to be going to the semi-finals,” said Kvitova.
(Reporting by Jason Hovet, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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