Petra Kvitova came back from a set down to beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and hand holders the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over Russia in the Fed Cup final in Prague on Saturday. Kvitova, the world number six and Czech number one, beat 28th-ranked Pavlyuchenkova on the hardcourt of Prague's O2 Arena 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 in an hour and 44 minutes.
In Saturday's second rubber, 11th-ranked Karolina Pliskova will face world number four Maria Sharapova in their first-ever encounter as the Czechs seek their fourth title in five years. Following a minute's silence for the victims of Friday's Paris terror attacks, Kvitova got off to a stumbling start, piling up unforced errors and losing her serve to love in game three.
With Kvitova able to place only four in 10 first serves in the court, Pavlyuchenkova broke again two games later and went on to take the first set in just 34 minutes. "She came and she played well, I didn't really feel that she was nervous but I was nervous," Kvitova said. "When I stepped onto the court, I was very nervous and I was so tired, my hands didn't fly (as) I wanted, my legs were very heavy and I couldn't really move well."