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| 14 Sep 2008 - Club de Campo, Madrid | |
| Medina Garrigues v Kuznetsova |
Russia are once again the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas champions after Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Anabel Medina Garrigues 57 63 64 at the Club de Campo in Madrid
Game By Game Updates:
GAME, SET & MATCH RUSSIA
There it is!! Russia have won the 2008 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas title as the whole squad come on court to swamp Svetlana Kuznetsova. Great scenes.
Medina Garrigues 4-5 Kuznetsova
MG lives on. Two match points saved by Anabel and Spain are still in it. Boy, what tension. Can Kuzy close this one out?
Medina Garrigues 3-5 Kuznetsova
Russia are one game away from yet another Fed Cup by BNP Paribas title. Solid serving from Kuzy as the silverware beckons.
Medina Garrigues 3-4 Kuznetsova
Immaculate defending from Kuzy, waiting for the mistakes and so they came. What a yo-yo match we have right now as the Russian gets her nose in front once again.
Medina Garrigues 3-3 Kuznetsova
More smiles for every other Spaniard here today. Anabel’s broken and the match is right back in the balance. Impressive from MG and muchos credit where credits due.
Medina Garrigues 2-3 Kuznetsova
Love game now for M-G who looks into the crowd and gives someone a huge, beaming smile.
Medina Garrigues 1-3 Kuznetsova
Wonderful footwork from Kuzy as she scrambles around to hit a peachy into out forehand. Amazingly, she has not lost a point on her serve in this set yet.
Medina Garrigues 1-2 Kuznetsova
MG stops the rot and is on the board in this final set. She skips back to her chair and high fives skipper Miguel Margets.
Medina Garrigues 0-2 Kuznetsova
Love service game and a fifth ace as Kuzy takes control.
Medina Garrigues 0-1 Kuznetsova
That’s four games in a row now for the Russian as she breaks MG’s serve and a ripper of a start in the deciding set for her.
SECOND SET RUSSIA
Medina Garrigues 3-6 Kuznetsova
No mistake this time for Kuzy as two consecutive aces bring her the second set. It’s 1-1 as we close in on the two hour mark for the match.
Medina Garrigues 3-5 Kuznetsova
Exquisite drop shot from Kuzy and a couple of gorgeous angles secure her a break. She bangs her chest as the vociferous Russians leap up off their seats. Can she this time finally hold serve to close out the second set?
Medina Garrigues 3-4 Kuznetsova
The Russian wastes no time in taking the lead again, serving that one to love. More and more people flocking into the sun drenched stadium.
Medina Garrigues 3-3 Kuznetsova
Kuzy missed two game points there, as Anabel clinches her fist to hold serve. Skipper Miguel Margets stands up to offer his applause. We’re getting close to the money time here.
Medina Garrigues 2-3 Kuznetsova
Sveta was in too much of a hurry in that game and Medina just had to be patient and we're level pegging again.
Medina Garrigues 1-3 Kuznetsova
A break to love for Russia. Medina's intensity has dropped a little. Can she pick it up again?
Incidentally, while it has never happened in a Fed Cup Final, Spain was the last nation to overturn a 0-2 deficit in a Fed Cup tie against Belgium in the 2004 quarterfinal - and it was Medina who started the comeback that time around.
Medina Garrigues 1-2 Kuznetsova
Kuzy eases through that one as the game goes a bit flat. She's been here before. She dropped the first set when she was aiming to close the tie out at last year's final before recovering to seal a Russian victory.
Medina Garrigues 1-1 Kuznetsova
Medina Garrigues has her game face back on and holds to love. That's the first time she has done so in the match.
Medina Garrigues 0-1 Kuznetsova
Kuznetsova stops the rot - for now. She holds in the 1st game of the second set as Medina has a little bit of a letdown after her stunning end to the first set.
FIRST SET SPAIN
Medina Garrigues 7-5 Kuznetsova
Brilliant come back from Anabel, really was. Spain have won their first set in the final and this place is hotting up, but what a collapse from Kuzy. Captain Tarpischev will need to use all his years of experience to get Kuzy in a decent mental state.
Medina Garrigues 6-5 Kuznetsova
What a turn around! Fourth consecutive game for Anabel and if she can hold her serve, Spain are right back in the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final. Who would have thought this when Kuzy was 4-0 up?
Medina Garrigues 5-5 Kuznetsova
Unforced error after unforced error from Kuzy and that’s 29 of them now. After an hours play, we are all square. M-G is starting to believe in herself, I tell ya. Kuzy to serve next.
Medina Garrigues 4-5 Kuznetsova
5 set points and Kuzy cant convert. Spain are right back into this people and the crowd have gone nuts.
"OLE, OLE, OLE" rings out from the Club de Campo.
Medina Garrigues 3-5 Kuznetsova
M-G holds serve and now its crunch time if she wants to save the first set. She's bouncing around like a prize fighter and fired up.
Medina Garrigues 2-5 Kuznetsova
MG desperately needs to win more consecutive points or it’s just not going to happen for her. Kuzy hammers a cross court backhand winner with both feet off the ground to close out that one. Superb technique from the head-banded Russian.
Medina Garrigues 2-4 Kuznetsova
Good game for M-G who closes out the game with a big forehand. Nice job to defend a couple of break points and hold serve. Vital 5 mins coming up.
Medina Garrigues 1-4 Kuznetsova
That’s one back for Spain and they are on the board. A change of ball boys has done the job for Anabel and the home town crowd decide to ramp up their enthusiasm...about time some would say!
Medina Garrigues 0-4 Kuznetsova
Anabel has to change her tactics because at the moment things just ‘aint happening for her and she just can’t handle the pace of the Russian. It’s double break time.
Medina Garrigues 0-3 Kuznetsova
Kuzy’s got that ability to take it up a level and there’s nothing Anabel can do against that forehand at the moment. 6 forehand winners from Kuzy to date and we’ve been going twenty minutes here in Madrid.
Medina Garrigues 0-2 Kuznetsova
M-G already in a tough spot as Kuzy goes all out attack straight off. Anabel doesn’t want Kuzy to get a lead. The Russian is nothing short of ruthless in these situations.
Medina Garrigues 0-1 Kuznetsova
Same as yesterday, Kuzy running around the backhand to pound that forehand of hers and picks up the first game. Good crowd in again today enjoying the perfect conditions. The feisty bunch of Russians are also here once more and already stretching their vocal chords.
12.11pm: Kuzy wins the toss, decides to serve and we are underway. Game on.
12.05pm: Right, it’s business time and here come Kuzy and Anabel. What can the Spaniard come up with to throw the Russian off her tracks?
The girls are wearing the same kit they did yesterday, so to get a good idea of what they look like, check out our photos from yesterday.
11.50am: Spanish Fed Cup Captain Miguel Margets has just been presented with the Fed Cup Award of Excellence on court by ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti.
11.45am: Buenos dias! It’s another beautiful day here in Madrid, but not so beautiful for the Spanish Fed Cup team, who’ve got it all to do today.
2-0 down, they’ve got the proverbial Everest to climb with Russia charging towards yet another title.
First up on court sees world no. 29 Anabel Medina Garrigues taking on Svetlana Kuznetsova, the seventh best women’s player on the globe at the moment.
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