PARIS (AFP) – Teenage star Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova replaced a struggling Maria Sharapova on Sunday and inspired four-time champions Russia to an historic 3-2 win over France and a place in the Fed Cup semi-finals.Pin-up Sharapova, playing her first Fed Cup match in three years, had crumbled to a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Virginie Razzano on Saturday in her opening singles rubber and did not feature in Moscow on Sunday.Russia had been 2-0 down overnight after Alize Cornet had seen off Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.But on Sunday, 19-year-old, world number 14 Pavlyuchenkova defeated Cornet 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 before Kuznetsova levelled the World Group I clash by seeing off Razzano 6-4, 6-4.No team had ever overturned a 2-0 deficit in the history of the event, but Pavlyuchenkova ignored the record books to partner Kuznetsova to a 7-6, (7/4), 6-0 win over Alize Cornet and Julie Coin in the decisive doubles.Russia, the 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 winners, will now face two-time defending champions Italy at home in the semi-finals in April.Italy completed a 4-1 rout of Australia in Hobart with world number Flavia Pennetta extending her winning streak in the competition to 10 matches with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Jarmila Groth.That followed world number four, and French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone's 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-5 win over fifth-ranked Samantha Stosur.Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani saved two match points to fight back and beat the Australian combination of Rennae Stubbs and Anastasia Rodionova, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 in the dead doubles rubber."We are really happy about this match (result). It was really tough for everyone here," Pennetta said.Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters secured Belgium's ticket for the semi-finals thanks to a 6-7 (10/12), 6-2, 6-1 victory over Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Antwerp as the home side took an unassailable 3-0 lead over the United States.Yanina Wickmayer breezed past Melanie Oudin 6-2, 6-0 to make it 4-0.Belgium will tackle the Czech Republic, who saw off neighbours Slovakia 3-2 in Bratislava, for a place in the final.The Czechs reached their third successive semi-final after Petra Kvitova, the world number 18, swept aside Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 in the first of Sunday's reverse singles to grab the key third point."I got Daniela under pressure, that was the key. She didn't have a chance to get in the game and I kept the pace till the end," said Kvitova."We've had enough playing the semi-finals, I think we're considering the next step. We'd like to finally fight for the cup," said Czech coach Petr Pala.In the second singles match on Sunday, Slovakia's 437-ranked teenager Jana Cepelova won the first point for her country against Safarova, who retired from a 1-1 tie after the second set.The Slovak team, playing the World Group after a seven-year absence, grabbed a late consolation as Cepelova and Magdalena Rybarikova beat Kveta Peschke and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 in the doubles.Street Hitz 21 .Blame it on the Boogie 2003 .Larry 03 .Ancient Power .Funked Up the Very Best of
Pavlyuchenkova ousts Sharapova, takes Russia to win
PARIS (AFP) – Teenage star Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova replaced a struggling Maria Sharapova on Sunday and inspired four-time champions Russia to an historic 3-2 win over France and a place in the Fed Cup semi-finals.Pin-up Sharapova, playing her first Fed Cup match in three years, had crumbled to a 6-3, 6-4 defeat to Virginie Razzano on Saturday in her opening singles rubber and did not feature in Moscow on Sunday.Russia had been 2-0 down overnight after Alize Cornet had seen off Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.But on Sunday, 19-year-old, world number 14 Pavlyuchenkova defeated Cornet 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 before Kuznetsova levelled the World Group I clash by seeing off Razzano 6-4, 6-4.No team had ever overturned a 2-0 deficit in the history of the event, but Pavlyuchenkova ignored the record books to partner Kuznetsova to a 7-6, (7/4), 6-0 win over Alize Cornet and Julie Coin in the decisive doubles.Russia, the 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 winners, will now face two-time defending champions Italy at home in the semi-finals in April.Italy completed a 4-1 rout of Australia in Hobart with world number Flavia Pennetta extending her winning streak in the competition to 10 matches with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Jarmila Groth.That followed world number four, and French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone's 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-5 win over fifth-ranked Samantha Stosur.Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani saved two match points to fight back and beat the Australian combination of Rennae Stubbs and Anastasia Rodionova, 2-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 in the dead doubles rubber."We are really happy about this match (result). It was really tough for everyone here," Pennetta said.Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters secured Belgium's ticket for the semi-finals thanks to a 6-7 (10/12), 6-2, 6-1 victory over Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Antwerp as the home side took an unassailable 3-0 lead over the United States.Yanina Wickmayer breezed past Melanie Oudin 6-2, 6-0 to make it 4-0.Belgium will tackle the Czech Republic, who saw off neighbours Slovakia 3-2 in Bratislava, for a place in the final.The Czechs reached their third successive semi-final after Petra Kvitova, the world number 18, swept aside Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2 in the first of Sunday's reverse singles to grab the key third point."I got Daniela under pressure, that was the key. She didn't have a chance to get in the game and I kept the pace till the end," said Kvitova."We've had enough playing the semi-finals, I think we're considering the next step. We'd like to finally fight for the cup," said Czech coach Petr Pala.In the second singles match on Sunday, Slovakia's 437-ranked teenager Jana Cepelova won the first point for her country against Safarova, who retired from a 1-1 tie after the second set.The Slovak team, playing the World Group after a seven-year absence, grabbed a late consolation as Cepelova and Magdalena Rybarikova beat Kveta Peschke and Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 in the doubles.Street Hitz 21 .Blame it on the Boogie 2003 .Larry 03 .Ancient Power .Funked Up the Very Best of