RUSSIA'S FED CUP SIDE.

[lau]

Schiavone gives Italy lead over champions Russia


BRINDISI, Italy, April 23 (Reuters) - Italy took a 1-0 lead over champions Russia in their Fed Cup tie on Saturday after Francesca Schiavone beat Dinara Safina in the opening match.

Schiavone won 7-5 6-3 against the sister of Australian Open champion Marat Safin on the red clay in Puglia.

The Russian squad, which won the competition for the first time last year, are without French Open champion Anastasia Myskina, Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova and U.S Open holder Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Schiavone is leading Italy's challenge in the World Group One tie after their top-ranked woman Silvia Farina-Elia retired from Fed Cup duty and Falvia Penetta was forced out by injury.

In an enthralling opening match Safina, making her Fed Cup debut, showed her great promise with excellent power play in the first set but too often the 18-year-old made errors at vital moments.

Safina converted just one of her 12 break points and she will be disappointed not to have produced a single ace.

Italy's Tathiana Garbin faces world number five Elena Dementieva in the second singles later on Saturday. The Russian is returning to Fed Cup action for the first time since 2003.

[Teresa]

Thanks lau for that update.

Poor Dinara, I was following the live scores, and felt really bad for her when she had that opportunity to break, I mean she had whats her name at love 40 and could not convert, and although she had been playing well, it was down hill after that.
Poor love must have been really nervous playing in her first Fed Cup. Hopefully tomorrow will be better for her.

Dementieva has tied, so they are now 1-1
Well done Dementieva
Hopefully we will win the doubles (Russia ;D)

[tall_one]

lau said:

Schiavone won 7-5 6-3 against the sister of Australian Open champion Marat Safin on the red clay in Puglia.

GRRRR Her name is Dinara!! Not once in this article do they say her name!

I followed the scores too, so many break point chances Hopefully she is over her nervousness and can play well in the 2nd match

[tall_one]

[Teresa]

nicki thanks for the pics and updates


I just got up to check the scores and see that Dinara is not playing??? I thought she was supposed to play
Garbin? but its Bovina and Camerin??

Does anyone know what happened? did they replace Dinara because she lost yesterday? Poor sweetie
she must feel awful? And I agree they should have put her in the doubles, she has had a solid year in the doubles,

Russia is at least leading and hopefully Bovina will win this and Russia will go thru.

[tall_one]

The Two Elenas Deliver a Semifinal Berth for Russia
Wins from world No. 5 Elena Dementieva and No. 14 Elena Bovina put defending champion Russia into the semifinals of the 2005 Fed Cup where they will host, likely in Moscow, the winner of the USA versus Belgium tie taking place this weekend in Florida. It was a day of missed opportunities for Italy and overcoming adversity for Russia but, in the end, two of the seemingly endless contingent of top Russian players came through for their country, defeating Italy 4-1.

Over the same weekend as the semifinals, Italy will compete in the Play-off round to see if they will play in World Group I or World Group II in the 2006 Fed Cup competition.

Dementieva won both of her singles matches, defeating Tathiana Garbin and Francesca Schiavone respectively, even though she was broken five times in each match. Her two-hour-35-minute victory over Schiavone today was even more remarkable because the Russian saved four match points in the second set before decimating her opponent 6-0 in the third.

Bovina, a replacement for Dinara Safina who lost to Schiavone on Saturday, had more trouble than she expected with Maria-Elena Camerin, breaking the Italian in the final game to win 63 36 62 in two hours. Camerin saved two match points before falling to Bovina and delighted the largely Italian crowd with her courage during the match.

Russia has a juggernaut of a team to call upon for the semifinals. French Open champion Anastasia Myskina had been nominated for the tie but withdrew due to injury earlier this week and surely is expected to compete in July. Russia’s other two Grand Slam champions, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, have indicated that they will be available for selection this year and, with the women who won this first round tie also in the running, Russian captain Shamil Tarpischev will have some difficult choices to make.

His top player this week, Dementieva, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, saving four match points in the second set of her match to defeat Schiavone 46 76(2) 60 and give Russia a 2-1 lead in the tie. Having dropped her serve five times against Garbin in the second singles, Dementieva continued to serve poorly throughout the match but benefited when Schiavone made critical errors on important points to give her the advantage. During a toilet break between the second and third sets, the body language of a deflated Schiavone foretold her collapse in the third set.

“Francesca played very well. It certainly was one of her best matches,” said Dementieva after the victory. “But the match turned after the four match points as I tried to resist her pressure. I was never really afraid of losing, especially during the match points, but she was very aggressive and very creative and kept changing her style of play which made it difficult for me.”<br>
For the second day in a row, weather conditions in the Adriatic port city of Brindisi were near perfect for this first round Fed Cup tie. Sunday was a touch warmer than Saturday with the sunny skies and light breezes that are typical of this southern Italian city in April and, as the stadium at the Circolo Tennis Brindisi began to fill, there was a holiday atmosphere as the local fans hoped to see their team upset the Russians and advance to the semifinals.

After Schiavone’s loss, as if the weather were Italian, the skies over Brindisi became overcast and the temperature dropped a few degrees but improved during the match between Bovina and Camerin.

Bovina had it all her way in the opening set against Camerin 63 but Camerin charged back in the second and brought the crowd alive but their joy waned as she was unable to sustain the momentum against the higher ranked Bovina. Victory came at the two-hour mark in the match on Camerin’s serve. The plucky Italian saved two match points before losing her serve and the match to Bovina who had a subdued but very happy celebration with her teammates on the side of the court.

“I was never worried about winning, even if I lost concentration in the third set,” said Bovina. “And, in the third set, I had no doubt.”<br>
“There was a lot of pressure on me to win,” continued Bovina, “but there would have been more if Elena had not won her match. It was great and we look forward to playing at home in front of our fans in July.”<br>
In the final rubber, under cold and windy conditions, Vera Douchevina and Safina defeated Garbin and Mara Santangelo 63 75 to complete Russia’s 4-1 victory over Italy and put them on course to defend their 2004 Fed Cup title. While the fans in Brindisi no doubt hoped for a win for their country, they were treated to nearly eight hours of compelling tennis on Sunday and the Italian women will have made many friends among the public with their fighting spirit and good nature.

[Teresa]

In the final rubber, under cold and windy conditions, Vera Douchevina and Safina defeated Garbin and Mara Santangelo 63 75 to complete Russia’s 4-1 victory over Italy and put them on course to defend their 2004 Fed Cup title. While the fans in Brindisi no doubt hoped for a win for their country, they were treated to nearly eight hours of compelling tennis on Sunday and the Italian women will have made many friends among the public with their fighting spirit and good nature.

Thank you nicki
My heart was heavy, i did not think they would play the fifth rubber and did not think Dinara would be in that rubber.

i am so happy for her that she won her doubles match
i am so proud of her, she should be content, she did Russia proud, Russia should be proud they won with pride

[annie]

Wooooo hooo!!!!!! well done girlies!!!!

Watched all the matches and had a great time doing it!
Dinara played extremely well, I think the Italian won due to more experience really than anything. Dinara had 12 breakpoints and took only 1. However it was her first match for Russia and she's really very young so considering that...she was great.

Elenas did a good job and I am very glad we're though

[annie]

cache.gettyimages.com/thumb/52690492.jpg?x=x&a=52690492&b=afp&t=1

Dinara and Vera playing doubles

[annie]

So it's Russia-USA in Moscow at the beginning of July(yeepee!!!) now. That should be veeeeeerryyyyyyy interesting

LMAO I think I need to put up a tent at the Olympiyski sports complex, right after the Fed Cup there is Davis Cup there and I already have my tickets LOL

[annie]

other photos from Italy from Dinara's website

[SAFINNO1]

so it seemed a good weekend for russia and so the US in july hopefully Dina may get a spot in the doubles.
ANyway well done Dina continue to show your promise and great thing will come your way

[Karen]

This is a tough one I don't know who to root for.

[SAFINNO1]

Home or Marat land. that is a really close one.
i am talking about the decision not the match. i think Russia full strength can and will cause a problem

[annie]

SAFINNO1 said:

Home or Marat land. that is a really close one.
i am talking about the decision not the match. i think Russia full strength can and will cause a problem

I hope so and I think considering that the Davis Cup is straight after and Tarpischev already announced clay for that....Russian women on clay can do wonders ;D