Slovakia was crushed by the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup match in Bratislava at the weekend, meaning the Czech Republic goes through to the semi-finals for the third time.
Top Czech player Petra Kvitova (ranked 18th) finished the Slovak team off after beating Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova (32nd seed) 6-4 then 6-2 to give the Czech team a 3-0 score.
The Czech Republic goes through to the semi-finals in April against either Belgium or the United States.
Kvitova broke Hantuchova’s service twice, enjoying a 5-1 lead, which left Hantuchova no chance of coming back.
The second set had a similar story, as Hantuchova went 4-0 down from the start. Kvitova said it was one of her best performances in the Fed Cup, saying “We came here in excellent shape, while Hantuchova is still not on her best form” (she is suffering from Achilles trouble).
This is the fourth time Slovakia has met the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup, and the fourth time it has lost to them, this time by a final score of 3-2. Back in 2002 Slovakia won the Fed Cup.