Petra Kvitova and Barbora Strykova won the opening two singles matches to give Czech Republic a 2-0 lead over Switzerland in the first day of the BNP Paribas Fed Cup World Group first round.
Petra Kvitova gave Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over Switzerland with her 6-2 1-6 6-3 win over world number 100 Viktorija Golubic. The world number 21 and two-time Wimbledon champion won 82 % of her first serve points and dropped just one point on her serve in the first set.
Kvitova got an immediate break in the first game of the second set. Golubic, who beat Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strykova the last time Czech Republic and Switzerland clashed in the Fed Cup semifinal in 2016, broke serve in a hard-fought fourth game of the second set to open up a 3-1 lead en route to winning six consecutive games in the second set.
Kvitova broke serve to build a 3-0 lead. Golubic pulled the break back to draw level to 3-3. Kvitova got another break in the eighth game, when Golubic double faulted as she served at 3-4 30-40.
Golubic earned a break point at 30-40 but Kvitova hit two consecutive service winners to save them before sealing the win on her first match point with a backhand volley at the net.
Kvitova hit 32 winners compared to Golubic’s 44.
The Czech star has returned to the Fed Cup for the first time since recovering from injuries in a knife attack at her home in December 2016.
“It was up and down. I started well and she looked a bit nervous at first, but I struggled physically and also mentally in the second set. I said to myself, I didn’t want to be the next Czech to lose to Golubic”, said Kvitova.
Barbora Strykova beat Belinda Bencic 6-2 6-4 in the second match to put Czech Republic one win away from their 10th consecutive Fed Cup semifinals.
Strykova went up a double break in the first and seventh games to win the first set 6-2. The Czech player broke serve to open up a 4-1 lead in the second set. Bencic broke back to reduce the gap to 3-4 in the seventh game. Strykova served out the match on her first match point after Bencic made her 23rd unforced error.
“It was a solid game from me. I am grateful for the point. It’s pretty important”, said Strykova.
