While doubles was not the 23-year-old Swiss Golubic’s forte, the No. 129-ranked player kept her team in the tie with two surprising singles wins over Pliskova and Strycova. The Czechs will travel to France for the final on Nov. 12-13.

Yow! It’s the Fed Cup upset of the year, or century, as the unheralded Netherlands comes into Moscow and comes out with a win. Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens upsets Ekaterina Makarova, and then No. 141-ranked Richel Hogenkamp ousts former world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova 10-8 in the third. Bertens hands Kuznetsova another loss in the third match and it’s game over man — a 3-0 Dutch sweep.

This is a mouth-watering tie as Belinda Bencic and Timea Bacsinszky in singles, and Martina Hingis in doubles travel to take on Australian Open winner Angie Kerber and teammates Andrea Petkovic, Julia Goerges and Annika Beck on hardcourt.

Regardless, Sharapova watched it unfold from the bench with the requisite sadness and hugs.

Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova will try to win the Fed Cup this weekend.

The Fed Cup will have a final this weekend worthy of the top international team tennis competition when the Czech Republic, winners of the competition in three of the last four years, host a loaded Russian team led by former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova.

“I wrote a message to [Hingis] after her loss on Saturday to tell her that I was proud of what she did and I was inspired too,” Bacsinszky said of Hingis’ effort that came just shy of a singles win, 17 years after she played her last Fed Cup singles. “I told her she needs to be proud of herself. Not everyone can come back and play such great tennis as this.”

Eugenie Bouchard’s snub bites her back.

Fed Cup resumes this weekend.

Maria Sharapova showed off her footwork skills.

“I was either going to be a genius or a nonsense captain,” Mauresmo said. “I took the decision to play Kristina because I knew she had the game to beat Errani. We knew the tactics and she was able to deliver on the court which is always the toughest thing to do.”

“A little bit of a surprise,” he said. “You know, I had a feeling she would play.”

The Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova headline Fed Cup play this weekend.

The French send the U.S. out of the World Group I for 2015 behind singles wins by France’s Caroline Garcia over Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, and Garcia winning the doubles with veteran Virginie Razzano over the doubles-challenged Keys/Stephens. France was 1-12 against the U.S. entering the tie.

That’s less a WTA event and more like a thrown-together f-you to the ITF.