Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated fellow former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to pull four-time champion Russia level with Serbia in their Fed Cup semifinal in Moscow. Ivanovic went into the rubber leading her opponent 6-2 in previous encounters, but crucially it was Kuznetsova who won their only Fed Cup match-up in 2010 and her liking for the tournament continued on Saturday. Jelena Jankovic had beaten Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3 earlier Saturday to put Serbia 1-0 up. The winner of the semifinal will likely face holder Czech Republic in November's final after the Czechs opened a 2-0 lead over Italy in Ostrava. Lucie Safarova and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova handed the Czech Republic the lead. Safarova, the world No. 23, beat 12th-ranked Francesca Schiavone, the former French Open winner, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 before world number three Kvitova saw off Sara Errani 6-4, 6-3. “This point was very important for us. Leading 2-0 after day one is an excellent result and it will definitely give us a boost, but we need one more point,” said Kvitova, who faces Schiavone in the first reverse singles Sunday. The Czechs beat Russia 3-2 in Moscow last November to win their first Fed Cup trophy since their country split with Slovakia in 1993. In the World Group playoffs, where the winners will play in the elite division next season, the US took a 2-0 lead over Ukraine, Japan led Belgium 2-0, Spain and Slovakia were locked at 1-1, while Australia opened a 2-0 lead over Germany.
