ITF

18 ITFWorld // WINTER 2018 ever-deepening pool of talent and rustle up a side capable of toppling defending champions and 18-time winners the United States, in what was a showdown between the two most successful teams in the tournament's history. The strength in depth of the Czech Republic team resonated particularly loudly during their 3-0 victory at a boisterous O2 Arena in Prague. "The girls dealt with the pressure so well," Pala said of Katerina Siniakova and Strycova, who claimed singles rubber victories for the Czechs. "I cannot say anything more." Some 28 hours earlier, Pala, while speaking with reporters at the pre-draw ceremony, was slightly reticent given the absence of the injured Pliskova and under- the-weather Kvitova, who was on the Czech bench and relegated to chief cheerleader. "I might say we're slight favourites, but I don't know – with Karolina originally in the line-up, and now Petra not able to play – it changes the game a little bit," he said. "It will be interesting, close – a very tough tie." Despite the 3-0 whitewash, the clash was every bit the interesting, close and tough tie that Pala had predicted. The three matches lasted for more than eight hours combined, with both Strycova and Siniakova escaping from the jaws of defeat against American Sofia Kenin, who was making her competition debut. When Siniakova, 22, emerged with the tie-clinching third point for the Czechs, having survived two match points as a Kenin forehand sailed wide, the word "dynasty" began to be bandied about with regard to their glistening CV over eight years of Fed Cup dominance. All the on-court drama followed a moving opening ceremony, with rousing renditions of both national anthems. Strycova, who at 32 had already announced she was playing in her final Fed Cup tie 16 years after her first, was moved to tears, yet such emotion failed to facilitate her best tennis. Instead, it was Kenin who stole the first set courtesy of a tiebreak, before Strycova – a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2014 – steadied the ship and won 11 out of the next 14 games. Despite a last-gasp Kenin burst, Strycova closed out what had become a close third set with a serve-and- volley winner on match point. "For me it was a lot of emotions," said Strycova, who clearly wanted to end her team career with another title. "To see all the people here today, it means a lot to me." In the second rubber, Siniakova would be tested by Alison Riske, the veteran on the U.S. team and the only member of captain Kathy Rinaldi's squad not making her Fed Cup debut. Siniakova prevailed after two tight sets to ensure the Czech Republic boasted a healthy 2-0 lead after the opening day. It had been far from plain sailing, however, and, despite their predicament, the visitors had landed some blows. The third instalment of the showdown, as it turned out, was the most dramatic as the United States attempted to assume the status of the first side to recover from a 2-0 deficit in a Fed Cup finale. Siniakova and Kenin had never met before, and after winning the first set and dashing to a 3-0 lead in the second, Siniakova appeared to be in cruise control. The Czechs were mere points away from another coveted crown and the extension of their unbeaten home record to an 11th tie, dating back to 2009. Kenin, however, proceeded to win seven of the next nine games to force a third set, serving to stay in the match at 4-5 in the second, then breaking to love and serving out the set, winning 7-5. The pair would do battle for almost two further hours. It was the kind of theatre that Pala had anticipated, perhaps feared, but the sense of drama was palpable. Siniakova burst into a 4-1 lead, with Kenin looking down and out as she called for the trainer following a leg injury. Moscow-born right-hander Kenin, however, fought to tie the match at 4-4 and then, miraculously, secured two match points in the 10th game. But Kenin, who has since turned 20, could not haul herself over the line. With the 14,000-strong Czech crowd behind her, Siniakova willed herself through those last three games, saving two match points, coming from love- 40 down at 5-5, and then breaking Kenin on her second match point. Their claim to a Fed Cup dynasty remained intact, bolstered even. "I could not have imagined a better finish," an elated and breathless Siniakova said following a match which lasted a near-record time of three hours and 44 minutes. As Siniakova seized victory, Pala ran to the team bench that had been so important to him, not only in this year's run to the final but also the last decade. There was Kvitova, in her Czech tracksuit, waiting for a hug, and Safarova, who, together with Helena Sukova had earlier in the day received the Fed Cup Commitment Award. Strycova, now excused from contesting the fourth rubber, "We have great depth. If one or two girls are out, we can still compete." B A R B O R A S T R Ý C O V Á Petra Kvitova was on hand to congratulate her teammates

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