Italy wins opening two singles rubbers against Russia

Tennis Betting Lines

04/25/2009 - Castellaneta Marina, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone posted singles victories on Saturday to give Italy a 2-0 lead over Russia in their Fed Cup semifinal showdown.

Pennetta met little resistance in a 6-4, 6-0 win over Anna Chakvetadze in the opening match before Schiavone rallied from a set down to earn a 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Svetlana Kuznetsova in the second match of the day on the red clay at Nova Yardinia.

The Italians can dethrone the two-time defending Fed Cup champs with one victory in either of the reverse singles matches Sunday or in the doubles tilt if necessary.

Pennetta and Kuznetsova are slated to meet in the first reverse singles match Sunday. It will then be Schiavone against Chakvetadze. If the Russians manage to win both, the decisive doubles rubber is scheduled to pit the Italian team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci against the Russian duo of Nadia Petrova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

On Saturday, Pennetta dominated Chakvetadze in just 67 minutes, especially in the second set when the Russian managed to win a mere nine points.

Kuznetsova turned the tables early in the second match Saturday, breaking Schiavone's serve three times to capture the first set. Schiavone, though, rebounded and converted both of her break-point chances in the second and saved four break-points against her own serve to get back in the match.

Neither player served well in a third set that featured a total of five breaks. Schiavone got one more, though, and completed the comeback on an unforced Kuznetsova error to put the host country on the brink of its third Fed Cup final in the past four years.

The Italians have never beaten the Russians in four previous Fed Cup ties, losing in the 2007 final. Italy won its lone Fed Cup crown in 2006, beating Belgium in the final.

Russia, meanwhile, is staring at its first Fed Cup loss since the 2006 first round against Belgium. The Russians have won four of the last five Fed Cup crowns.

The winner of this tie will play for the Fed Cup title in November against the winner of the United States/Czech Republic matchup, which is even at 1-1.

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