AP, Prague :
Defending champion Czech Republic clinched its fourth Fed Cup title in five years after Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Strycova won the decisive doubles Sunday against the Russian pair of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina.
The Czechs rallied to a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory to take the best-of-five series 3-2 on an indoor hard court at Prague’s O2 Arena, where security was stepped up following the attacks in Paris.
Earlier Sunday, Maria Sharapova came from a set down to beat Petra Kvitova 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the first reverse singles to give Russia a 2-1 lead.
Pliskova kept the Czechs in the final by defeating Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-4 in the second reverse singles to level the match at 2-2.
The Czechs broke the Russians in the opening game of the final set and again for 5-2 before Strycova served the match out. After Pavlyuchenkova hit the net with a backhand volley on the first match point, Strycova dropped to her knees, screaming in joy and prompting a noisy celebration.
The team danced on the court in celebration, while the fans roared in the stands.
“Unbelievable,” Strycova said. “I’m speechless, it’s a fantastic feeling. It was always my dream. We decided the tie, it can’t be better.”
Following the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia, the Czechs won their first title as an independent nation in 2011 by beating Russia in Moscow, and retained the trophy in Prague the following year.
They claimed their third Fed Cup title in four years last November by beating Germany in the final in Prague. Czechoslovakia won five times, including three straight from 1983-85.
“We tried, we did our best,” Russian captain Anastasia Myskina said. “I’m proud of my girls, they played good. We lost, that’s the end of the story.”
