Two-time former Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova clearly failed to recover from her four-hour marathon defeat on Saturday to Richel Hogenkamp, the longest match ever in the Fed Cup.“Today I felt good, while Svetlana (Kuznetsova) played yesterday a four-hour match,” Bertens said. Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic returns to Angelique Kerber of Germany in their Fed Cup World Group first round match in Leipzig, Germany, on Sunday. Every day you have the chance to beat the higher-ranked player.

Kiki Bertens won a decisive singles rubber in Moscow on Sunday, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia in straight sets to lead the Netherlands into the Fed Cup semi-finals.Bertens grabbed two breaks of serve to take the opening set in 35 minutes.. Bencic won 7-6 (7/4), 6-3. Bencic won 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.“I did not expect a 3-0 win as Russia are a very strong team,” he said.Then in the second set, 24-year-old Bertens got the break of serve she needed in the seventh game and went on to seal the victory on her second match point with a powerful forehand, which Kuznetsova returned into the net.“But our girls played really well, they fought hard.

Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic returns to Rubber seal Manufacturers Angelique Kerber of Germany in their Fed Cup World Group first round match in Leipzig, Germany, on Sunday. Meanwhile, Germany are under pressure in their Fed Cup World Group after Angelique Kerber’s defeat to teenager Belinda Bencic left the Swiss 2-1 up in Leipzig.

That’s what the girls believed in and what they’ve actually done,” Haarhuis added.“And I believed that if I started good and won the first set — even if it went to a third set — I believed that my body would feel better than hers.Bertens won 6-1, 6-4 in one hour 26 minutes to give the Dutch squad an unassailable 3-0 lead in the opening round tie at the hardcourts of the Olympic indoor arena.Dutch team skipper Paul Haarhuis said he had not expected such an easy victory against last season’s runners-up Russia