United States face Czech Republic in Fed Cup final

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France: Madison Keys saw off Pauline Parmentier in two sets to fire the United States into the Fed Cup final with a 3-1 semi-final win over France on Sunday.

Keys, 13th in the world, defeated the 122nd-ranked Parmentier 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 to earn the defending champions a November clash with the Czech Republic, who eased past Germany 4-1 in the other semi-final in Stuttgart.

Sloane Stephens had put the US on the verge of the final after brushing aside Kristina Mladenovic 6-2, 6-0 in Sunday’s first rubber in Aix-en-Provence.It was world number 20 Mladenovic who had given France a fighting chance when ending Coco Vandeweghe’s 13-match Fed Cup win streak to pull France level at 1-1 on Saturday.

But she was unable to repeat those heroics against the US Open champion who had given the Americans their first point when defeating Parmentier 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 in Saturday’s opening rubber.

In Wollongong, Australia, Daria Gavrilova put Australia back into the World Group of the Fed Cup with victory over Quirine Lemoine of the Netherlands in Wollongong on Sunday.The 24th-ranked Gavrilova, who replaced Saturday’s losing team-mate Samantha Stosur, beat the 295th-ranked Lemoine 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth singles to give Australia an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Australia’s number one and 19th-ranked Ashleigh Barty had set up the victory with her second convincing win of the weekend, downing Lesley Kerkhove 6-4, 6-2 in the third singles rubber.Gavrilova later teamed with Destanee Aiava to win the dead doubles rubber, 6-3, 6-2 over Demi Schuuers and Kerkhove to complete a 4-1 win.

Australia were last in the elite group of the Fed Cup in 2015, while the Netherlands were trying to prolong their three-year stay in the top tier.In Miki, Japan plucked victory from the jaws of defeat as the hosts beat Britain 3-2 to seal a return to the Fed Cup’s elite level after a four-year absence.

Johanna Konta crushed Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-3 to put the visitors on the brink of victory before Kurumi Nara upset Heather Watson 7-6 (11-9), 6-4 to take a see-saw World Group II playoff tie to a deciding fifth rubber.

Konta and Watson looked to be cruising in the doubles before Miyu Kato and Makoto Ninomiya hit back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, ending British hopes of breaking back into the Fed Cup’s top 16 for the first time since 1993.

A missed Konta volley gave the Japanese breathing space in the final set before Ninomiya’s crunching forehand on their third match point completed a fighting comeback win after two hours, 11 minutes.

Konta took just 75 minutes to beat Osaka, one of the rising stars of women’s tennis who captured her first big title at Indian Wells last month.The Briton, ranked one below Osaka at 23 in the world, sealed victory with a ferocious backhand down the line that took the air out of the home crowd.

In Stuttgart, Germany, Julia Goerges dragged Germany back into their Fed Cup semi-final against the Czech Republic with a gritty win over Karolina Pliskova.Victories by Petra Kvitova and Pliskova in Saturday’s singles had put the Czechs 2-0 up in Stuttgart before Goerges’s impressive 6-4, 6-2 win kept the tie alive.

Angelique Kerber now has the challenge of needing to beat Kvitova in the final singles rubber to set up a decisive doubles match.Having lost in less than an hour to two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova the day before, Goerges showed character in a gutsy display with the home crowd roaring her on.Leaning on her strong service game and producing several outstanding returns, Goerges gave Pliskova no time to settle.