ITF

12 ITFWORLD SPRING 2016 Ever since Amelie Mauresmo took on the job of captain in 2012, she had felt that France was capable of once again reaching a final, having been a member of the team which lost 3-2 to Russia at Roland Garros in 2005. Her side were certainly favourites at the Arena Loire in Trelaze with Dutch No. 1 Kiki Bertens ranked lower than all of the four French players at world No. 96. Not for the first time, though, Bertens defied her ranking in Fed Cup. The 24-year-old needed just 71 minutes to beat world No. 45 Caroline Garcia 64 62, winning 87 percent of first-serve points. But the tie was level at the end of the opening day as Richel Hogenkamp suffered disappointment on her 24th birthday with a 62 64 defeat by Kristina Mladenovic. Bertens further improved her impressive Fed Cup singles record to 15-1 with a 75 64 win on day two against Mladenovic to put the Netherlands one win away from a shock appearance in the final. They could not quite get over the line, though, as Garcia beat Arantxa Rus 63 64 and then teamed up with Mladenovic, with whom she had won the doubles title in Charleston the week before. The pair came back from a set down to see off Bertens and Hogenkamp 46 63 63. Only five months previously, Russia had been just one rubber from a Fed Cup triumph at 2-1 up in the final against Czech Republic. Now they must prepare for life outside of the World Group for the first time since 1997 after a 3-2 defeat by Belarus in Moscow. FED CUP BY BNP PARIBAS Boosted by the recent form of Victoria Azarenka, who won Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back, Belarus reached the World Group for the first time in its history as Azarenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich overcame a Russian team which had 21-year-old Margarita Gasparyan and 18-year-old rising star Darya Kasatkina playing their first-ever live rubbers. Another powerhouse nation also suffered relegation as Italy dropped out of the World Group for the first time in 18 years with a 4-0 defeat by Spain in Lleida. A 76-minute first set in the opening rubber between Garbine Muguruza and Francesca Schiavone was as close as the tie was to get. Schiavone had been 4-2 up in the tiebreak but was stung on the cheek by an insect and never recovered her concentration after a break for treatment. Italy failed to win a set all weekend. Both Romania and Germany are renowned as strong nations but one had to suffer relegation as they met in Cluj-Napoca. After Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber had cruised to victory against Irina-Camelia Begu, Simona Halep struggled through a left ankle injury after a fall on court to beat Andrea Petkovic in two hours and 49 minutes. As a result, the much-awaited contest between Kerber and Halep was rather one-sided in the end with the Romanian world No. 6 clearly in pain, winning only four games before Petkovic clinched victory for Germany. Australia and USA faced each other on clay in Brisbane in a first meeting since 1985 and the visitors made a perfect start on the opening day, Madison Keys proving too powerful for Australian Angelique Kerber helped Germany remain in the World Group Victoria Azarenka was victorious for Belarus Ukraine enjoys its success Chinese Taipei reached World Group II for the first time

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