The Hindu : Sport : U.S. cruises into semifinals

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Tuesday, Apr 26, 2005

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U.S. cruises into semifinals

HAPPY TIMES: Venus Williams along with captain Zina Garrison, Corina Morariu, Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport pose after the United States trounced Belgium 5-0. - PHOTO: AP

LONDON: Spain held off a comeback by Argentina while defending champion Russia, France and the United States cruised into the Fed Cup semifinals on Sunday.

Spain needed a victory by a pair which hadn't played doubles together to finish off Argentina, which won both reverse singles on Sunday to level the first-round tie 2-2.

Spain, with a shot at winning its sixth Fed Cup in 15 years, will travel to France for the semifinals on July 9-10. France put away Austria 4-1.

Russia downed Italy 4-1, and will host the United States, which routed an overmatched Belgium 5-0.

At Jerez, Anabel Medina Garrigues and Nuria Llagostera Vives combined for the first time in competition to beat Argentina's Gisela Dulko and Maria-Emilia Salerni 6-4, 6-4 and nail an overall 3-2 victory.

Spain led 2-0 after Saturday's singles but in the reverse singles, Dulko swept past Marta Marrero, a late substitute for Medina Garrigues, 6-0, 6-3, and Mariana Diaz-Oliva avoided a slump at 5-2 in the first set to beat Llagostera Vives 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Coach elated

``I didn't breathe easily until the last point,'' said Spain coach Miguel Margets. ``We're really proud because we're among the four best teams in the world, and that was our goal coming in.''

At Brindisi, world No. 5 Elena Dementieva continued to struggle, losing her serve five times for the second day in a row, and had to save four match points before overcoming Italy No. 1 Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0 and putting Russia up 2-1.

Elena Bovina, substituting for Dinara Safina, then beat Maria-Elena Camerin 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in two hours to give Russia an unbeatable 3-1 lead.

``There was a lot of pressure on me to win but there would have been more if Elena had not won her match,'' Bovina said. ``It was great and we look forward to playing at home in front of our fans in July.''

Russia should be able to count on a full-strength side against the Americans.

French Open champion Anastasia Myskina withdrew injured this week, while Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova and U.S. Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova were omitted from the first-round tie.

The Americans hold a 4-0 lead over Russia in Fed Cup play, but they have not met since the Russian women surged to the top of the game.

Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport needed only 48 minutes on Sunday to give the U.S. team an unassailable 3-0 lead against Belgium when she beat Els Callens 6-4, 6-0.

Venus Williams won her second singles, and Davenport and Corina Morariu combined to win the doubles over a Belgian team without stars Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters, who wanted to concentrate on the Grand Slams.

The results (World Group: Group I: first round):

At Brindisi: Russia bt Italy 4-1 (Elena Dementieva bt Francesca Schiavone 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0; Elena Bovina bt Maria-Elena Camerin 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; Dinara Safina/Vera Douchevina bt Tathiana Garbin/Mara Santangelo 6-3, 7-5).

At Portschach: France bt Austria 4-1 (Virginie Razzano bt Yvonne Meusburger 6-3, 7-6 (2); Nathalie Dechy bt Tamira Paszek 7-6 (5), 6-2; Nathalie Dechy and Virginie Razzano bt Daniella Klemenschits/Sandra Klemenschits 6-4, 7-5).

At Jerez: Spain bt Argentina 3-2 (Gisela Dulko bt Marta Marrero 6-0, 6-3; Mariana Diaz-Oliva bt Llagostera Vives 7-6 (6), 6-4; Anabel Medina Garrigues/Nuria Llagostera Vives bt Gisela Dulko/Maria-Emilia Salerni 6-4, 6-4).

At Delray Beach: United States bt Belgium 5-0 (Lindsay Davenport bt Els Callens 6-4, 6-0; Venus Williams bt Leslie Butkiewicz 6-1, 6-4; Lindsay Davenport/Corina Morariu bt Kirsten Flipkens/Eveline Vanhyfte 6-1, 6-2). — AP

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