TENNIS FED CUP – Italy leads 2-0 over France on the first day of the Fed Cup World Group match at the 105 Stadium in Genoa tank to straight- set wins by Sara Errani and Camila Giorgi who beat Caroline Garcia and Alizé Cornet in two totally different matches. Diego Sampaolo
Errani broke Garcia’s winning record in Fed Cup matches taking a straight-set record with 7-6 7-5 after one hour and 53 minutes in the opening match. Then Camila Giorgi dominated the second match beating Alizé Cornet with 6-4 6-2.
Garcia beat Errani in their previous two matches but this time the Italian prevailed in a very tight match which featured eight breaks of serve in the first set and five in the second set.
Garcia broke serve on her fourth break point in a very long second game of the first set featuring 14 points to take a 2-0 lead in the first two games of the first set but Errani broke back to love as Garcia made a double fault. There were four breaks of serve in the next games. Errani broke again to take the 3-2 lead. Garcia hit a huge forehand to get the break. Errani broke back for 4-all before Garcia held her serve to lead 5-4. Errani held serve to 15 before breaking serve in the 11th game and served for the set. Garcia did not give up and got the break to force the match to the tie-break. Garcia got a mini-break in the breaker to go up 2-1 but Errani won six consecutive points to win the first set with 7-2.
After clinching the tie-break Errani opened up a 3-0 lead in the second set and earned two break points for 4-0 but Garcia saved them and broke back in the next game. The French player clawed her way back into the match drawing level to 4-all before holding her serve for 5-5. The French player made three costly double faults at 5-6 in the final game. Errani hit six winners to 18 unforced errors compared to Garcia who produced 17 winners to 25 unforced errors.
In the second match Giorgi dropped just six games in her straight set win over Alizé Cornet with 6-4 6-2- Giorgi, who is making her third Fed Cup appearance, played a perfect match to give Italy a comfortable 2-0 lead. Cornet led 2-1 in the previous head-to-head matches which came down to the third set. They played a hard-fought final in Katowice where Cornet saved a match point.
The first set went on serve until 2-2 in the first four games before Giorgi broke serve in the fifth game when Cornet made her second double fault. Giorgi saved two break points in the sixth game. Giorgi earned two break points in the seventh game but Cornet saved it with her serve for 3-4. Giorgi did not commit any double faults in the whole first set and closed the first set with 6-4 in 40 minutes. Giorgi went up a break at the start of the second set and cruised to a comfortable 6-2 in the second set.
“They were two totally different matches. Sara played for two hours for two sets, then Camila played an unbelievable match. There was nothing Cornet could do today”, said Italian Fed Cup captain Corrado Barazzutti.
