France fought back from 1-2 down to win 3-2 against the Netherlands in Trelaze in the first three matches to secure their first Fed Cup final since 2005. Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic recovered from a set down against Kiki Bertens and Richel Hogenkamp to secure France a spot in the 2016 Fed Cup final against Czech Republic who defeated Switzerland in Lucerne.
On day one Kiki Bertens got four breaks of serve to beat Caroline Garcia 6-4 6-2 in one hour and 11 minutes to give the Netherlands team a 1-0 lead. Bertens won 87 percent of her first serve points. The Dutch player broke serve in the opening game of the match and clinched the win as Garcia made a double fault on the match point.
“She served very well but I was far away from my best level. I was hurrying a bit on my forehand, and I wasn’t hitting the ball early enough. Perhaps I was trying too hard. It’s a pity, because it was a great atmosphere. It’s a match you dream of playing in, so it’s very frustrating. There was a lot of tension in this match and a lot of expectation from outside. She played a great match and played a great match”, said Garcia.
World number 28 Kristina Mladenovic defeated Richel Hogenkamp 6-2 6-4 to draw level to 1-1. Mladenovic broke number 139 Hogenkamp five times. Hogenkamp made Fed Cup history last February when she beat Svetlana Kuznetsova in four hours in the longest ever match in this event.
Bertens proved to be a true Fed Cup player in the first reverse rubber when she beat Kristina Mladenovic 7-5 6-4 improving her remarkable singles record in this competition to 15-1. She led the Netherlands to a surprising victory over Russia thanks to her two singles victories. Thanks to her win Bertens put the Netherlands within a single point of reaching their first Fed Cup in 19 years.
The match started with a trade of breaks before Bertens broke in the fifth game before serving for the set as she was leading 5-4. Mladenovic broke back to draw level to 5-5. The French player saved the first break point but Bertens converted her second chance before serving out the first set in the next game.
Bertens cruised to a 4-0 lead in the second set. As Bertens looked to be close to closing out, Mladenovic broke serve as the Dutch player was serving for the match. Bertens closed out the match on her second match point.
Caroline Garcia beat Aranxta Rus 6-3 6-4 to draw level to 2-2 forcing the Fed Cup semifinal to the decisive doubles match. Garcia got the double break in the opening game of the match and again as Rus served to stay in the set. Rus broke twice at the start of the second set to open up a 3-0 lead but Garcia got both breaks back before sealing the win on Rus’ serve after 1 hour and 24 minutes.
Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic, who won the doubles title in Charleston last week, fought back from a set down to beat the Dutch team formed by Bertens and Hogenkamp in the decisive doubles match 4-6 6-3 6-3. The Dutch team broke serve in the fifth game for 3-2 and in the ninth game for 6-4 to clinch the first set. Garcia and Mladenovic clawed their way into the match by forcing the match to the decider with a break in the 8th game for 5-3 en route to a 6-3 win in the second set. Mladenovic broke serve in the third game for 2-1 but she had to fend off six break points to hold France’s service game. At 5-3 France broke serve to complete the comeback win and secure the spot in the Fed Cup final against the defending champions from Czech Republic. The French team will be biddng to win their third Fed Cup title and the first since 2003.
