Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova led defending champions the Czech Republic into the Fed Cup semi-finals after winning their rubbers on Sunday for an unbeatable 3-1 lead against Spain. In a clash of the teams' number-one players, world number three Pliskova overcame seventh-ranked French Open champion Garbine Muguruza 6-2, 6-2 in an hour.
Then Strycova, ranked 17th, beat 70th-ranked Lara Arruabarrena 6-4, 6-4 in almost two hours.
Seeking a fourth straight Fed Cup title, and sixth from the last seven editions, the Czechs will face either Germany or the United States in the semi-finals on April 22-23.
On the hardcourt in the eastern Czech steel hub of Ostrava, the fast-serving, aggressive 24-year-old Pliskova gave the struggling Muguruza no chance.
The 23-year-old Spaniard snatched a single break late in the second set, but that was all she had to offer while Pliskova broke her serve almost at will, leaning on solid returns.
"My fast play worked well today and... I think I served very well throughout the match," Pliskova told the public Czech TV after winning her fifth straight rubber against Muguruza.
"I guess this was one of the easiest matches we've played," she said.
The 30-year-old Strycova had more work to do against Arruabarrena.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.