MOSCOW, November 2 (R-Sport) – One win separates Italy from its fourth Fed Cup title after Sara Errani delivered a straight-sets defeat to Russia’s 18-year-old Irina Khromacheva on Saturday.
In a best-of-five final on the clay courts of Cagliari, Italy is two matches up thanks to Errani and Roberta Vinci, who earlier saved four match points to beat Alexandra Panova in a three-hour thriller earlier in the day.
Fed Cup debutant Khromacheva, ranked 236th, made world No. 7 Errani sweat in the second set, but the Italian stepped up a gear to cruise to a 6-1, 6-4 victory in one hour and 25 minutes.
In the first set, Khromacheva tried to take the game to her opponet by landing 16 winners against Errani’s eight, but 19 unforced errors meant her efforts were for naught.
The Russian cut down on her mistakes in the second set and went 4-2 up, but her more experienced opponent pulled herself together and took four games in a row to nip any comeback in the bud.
Italy may clinch the title on Sunday if Errani beats Panova or later when Vinci meets Khromacheva. If the Russians beat the odds to prevail in those singles, then the trophy will go to the winner of the final match, a doubles.
With Russia’s top players either injured or opting to play a clashing WTA tournament, none of the foursome at the final is ranked in the world’s top 100, while Italy’s lowest-ranked player is 41st and the team boasts the world’s top two doubles players.
Italy won the third and last of its titles in 2010, while the most recent of Russia’s four victories came in 2008. The reigning champion is the Czech Republic.
