Czechs Close In On Semi-Final Spot

The 22-year-old Safarova battled back in the second set to hand the Czechs a 2-1 lead over Spain.

Lucie Safarova put the Czech Republic one match away from a place in the Fed Cup semi-finals after a surprise 6-4 6-3 victory over Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro on Sunday.

The 22-year-old Safarova, a late replacement for compatriot Iveta Benesova, battled back in the second set to hand the Czechs a 2-1 lead over Spain. World number 30 Suarez Navarro was unable to reproduce the form that carried her to the quarter-finals of last month's Australian Open and lost both of her matches in Brno.

Five-times champions and 2008 finalists Spain were expected to roll over the Czechs since they hold a 2-0 record over the hosts.

Petra Kvitova, who downed Suarez Navarro on Saturday, will be aiming to put the Czechs into the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1997 when she goes up against Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the fourth rubber.