Venus Forges Tie with Russia

CASTELLANETA MARINA, Italy - Defending champion Italy is locked at one rubber apiece with France in their Fed Cup sponsored by BNP Paribas World Group semifinal. Tatiana Golovin had got the French off to the perfect start on Saturday with a win over her namesake Tathiana Garbin, before Italian No.1, Francesca Schiavone, leveled the tie up with a victory over Amélie Mauresmo.

In stifling heat, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees, it proved to be a tough day for the players in southern Italy, although the 30-year-old Garbin appeared to have no problem acclimatizing as she raced into an early lead against Golovin. However, the 19-year-old Frenchwoman regrouped impressively, taking eight of the next 10 games to capture the opening set and secure an early break of serve in the second.

With a partisan crowd roaring her on and the heat starting to affect her opponent, Garbin won five games in a row to hit back and level the match at one set all. At this point the heat rule came into affect and a 10-minute break was taken as the temperature was in excess of 36 degrees. The interruption came at an opportune moment for Golovin, who came back with renewed vigor at the beginning of the deciding set, overcoming a scrappy start to reel off four consecutive games and complete a memorable 63 26 62 triumph.

"I'm really happy to have given this point to my team." gushed a relieved Golovin, "I love playing for France, and despite some tough moments in the match, overall I was able to find my rhythm and win the game."

After such a disappointing start, the Italian supporters looked to Fed Cup stalwart Schiavone to turn around their fortunes, but their prospects looked bleak when the 27-year-old fell 5-3 behind in the opening set against former world No.1, Mauresmo. However, with Mauresmo serving for the set, Schiavone turned the match on its head, reeling off the next four games to take a surprise one set lead.

Schiavone defeated Mauresmo in a first-round singles rubber during last year's Fed Cup and the 28-year-old Frenchwoman once again had no answer to her Italian rivals on court intensity as she slipped to a shock 75 63 defeat, much to the delight of the vociferous local supporters.

"The most important thing is that I gave my team a point," Schiavone said, "and we only need two more points tomorrow to make the final. Of course I'm happy, I love playing for my country and it is the first time that I've won in front of my home crowd which is special."

Schiavone's victory leaves the tie intriguingly poised, with Sundays reverse singles and a potentially crucial doubles rubber still to come.

STOWE, VT, USA - Honors were even after the first day's play between America and Russia in New England, after two vastly contrasting singles encounters. American No.1 Venus Williams had to recover from a mid-match blip to overcome Nadia Petrova after Anna Chakvetadze had put Russia into the lead, with a comfortable win over Vania King earlier in the day.

Rising Russian star Chakvetadze came charging out of the blocks in Saturday's first singles rubber, racing to a 4-0 lead before 18-year-old King had time to settle. The match was only King's second Fed Cup singles rubber and although she improved in the second set, she was no match for the 20-year-old Muscovite, who recorded a straightforward 61 63 win in little over an hour.

"I was confident from the beginning," Chakvetadze said, "I got a little bit nervous when I lost that game at 5-2 in the second, but it wasn't the end and I thought to myself that I will have to be focused until the final point. Although this is only my third time playing Fed Cup, I really enjoy it and I'm looking forward to my match with Venus on Sunday."

The American team are bidding to make the final for the first time since 2003 and after King's loss even more pressure was heaped upon their No.1 player and recent Wimbledon champion, Williams. The 27-year-old American got off to the worst possible start when she dropped the opening three games, although she dug deep to break back and force a first-set tie-break. Petrova has never defeated her American rival in three previous meetings and after letting three set points slip away on her way to dropping the tie-break it would have been easy to lose heart.

A reinvigorated Petrova emerged at the start of the second set and the 25-year-old produced some scintillating tennis to level the match up. The final set was a tense affair, but when the Russian broke serve in the seventh game she appeared to have gained the upper hand. However, once again Williams displayed all her fighting qualities to break back immediately, before completing a potentially vital 76(6) 06 64 victory.

"It was definitely an interesting match," Williams said, "because in the first couple games I felt like I was going for a little bit too much and consequently missing some shots, but I reeled it back in and got the win eventually. It was tough in the tiebreak and in the third set and maybe she got a little tight, but after all the matches I played at Wimbledon, at that stress level, I don't get nervous anymore!"

In the reverse singles on Sunday, Williams will face Chakvetadze before either King or Meilen Tu take on Petrova and then a possibly pivitol doubles match.

Four World Group playoff ties are also taking place this weekend and the winners will take their place in the elite World Group I in 2008. After day one in these ties, Israel leads Austria 2-0, while the ties between Japan and Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic and 2001 champion Belgium and China are locked at 1-1. (WTA)