2005 Fed Cup Final

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Dementieva puts Russia ahead
Elena Dementieva defeated Mary Pierce 76(1) 26 61 in the opening rubber of the 2005 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas final to give defending champion Russia a perfect start.

The Russian edged a tight first set before Pierce hit a purple patch to level the match. Dementieva regrouped and held on to win the third set as Pierce's play became more and more error-strewn.

Although Pierce hit more winners than Dementieva in the match, tellingly she committed twice as many errors and many of the Russian’s 14 forehand winners came at crucial points of the match . Importantly, the Muscovite converted all but one of her seven break point opportunities.

Dementieva made the better start and broke Pierce in the third game of the first set before a run of three successive service breaks from the sixth game onwards saw the set level at 4-4. With neither player able to threaten the other’s serve for the remainder of the set, it ended in a tiebreak.

In the tiebreak, Pierce’s game suddenly deserted her. Three careless errors and a double fault contributed to the Frenchwoman quickly finding herself serving with five set points against her, of which Dementieva only needed one to clinch the first set.

The Russian seemed to relax too much at the start of the second set and some sloppy play saw Pierce, playing with her right thigh heavily-strapped, break immediately for a 2-0 lead, only for Dementieva to battle back to 2-2.

Roared on by a near-capacity crowd, Pierce seemed to draw inspiration from the sun, which made its first prolonged appearance of the afternoon. Up to that point the sunshine had been patchy rather like Pierce’s play, but for the remainder of the second set, Pierce was dominant.

In the fifth game, Pierce correctly guessed where her opponent was going to volley and hoisted a superb reflex lob, which Dementieva successfully scrambled back to, only to net her forehand. Drawing inspiration from this point, Pierce blasted through the next three games to level the match.

Dementieva made the first move in the third set, winning ten of the first 13 points and soon had a break point for 4-0, as Pierce began to commit more and more errors. The Frenchwoman bravely staved off the first break point but was unable to prevent her opponent breaking at the second opportunity. Serving at 0-5, Pierce briefly rallied to get a game on the scoreboard but it was too little, too late as Dementieva immediately served out for victory.

"She played well in the first two sets. I just continued to play the same game in the third set and remain aggressive, " said the Russian No. 1 afterwards, "the plan was to run Pierce all over the court as we(coach Shamil Tarpischev and her) thought that I was the stronger player physically."

"She played solidly, while I was more up and down. I made too many errors. I tried my best and gave it my all. " was Pierce's summary of her performance.

French No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo will hope to put France back in contention when she takes on Anastasia Myskina in the second singles rubber.

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Mauresmo hauls France level
The Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final is poised for a dramatic second day after France and Russia ended Saturday locked at 1-1.

Amelie Mauresmo defeated Anastasia Myskina 64 62 in one hour 30 minutes in an absorbing second rubber, Elena Dementieva having put Russia 1-0 up earlier in the day by beating Mary Pierce.

The famous Rose Bowl trophy is still very much up for grabs, and you can follow all the action here on www.fedcup.com from noon local time (10:00 GMT) on Sunday.

“I had hoped we could be 2-0 up after the first day but I was more confident that Amelie would win than Mary, as Mary has not had long to recover from the US Open,” said French Captain Georges Goven, who also said he was not surprised that this tie is turning out to be a very tight affair.

Coming into the second rubber between Mauresmo and Myskina, there had been some doubt as to whether home court advantage could actually turn out to be a hindrance for the Frenchwoman, given that she has often appeared uncomfortable on the Court Philippe Chatrier. She has seemed burdened by the weight of expectation of her home fans here in the past, and with 15,000 of them cheering her on for her country today, perhaps even more passionately than they do each spring during Roland Garros, there would certainly be no place to hide.

Mauresmo answered the doubters in the best way possible – with a win that extends her Fed Cup winning streak to 15. She said afterwards that playing Fed Cup here is very different to playing in the Grand Slam event.

“This is a totally different event, and it helps having Georges on court with me,” she said. “Today he reassured me and gave me confidence in the choices I was making out there.

“I knew that if I could impose my game on her, I could make it difficult for her.”

In the first few games though, there was not much that either player could do to impose themselves. Alongside the home worries over Mauresmo’s temperament, there were question marks over what Myskina would bring to the court. Would it be the game that took her to the first Grand Slam title for a Russian woman, in this very stadium in June last year? Or the patchy form she has suffered in 2005, highlighted by a first round loss at Roland Garros this year; maybe this would be the triumphant return she missed out on then.

The first few games didn’t provide much of a clue either way. With both players visibly nervous, they struggled to find rhythm to their games, and errors flowed from both rackets. After almost half an hour of play, the score stood at just 2-2, the improbability of the length of those games only surpassed by the fact that there were no breaks of serve – despite break points in every game.

When Mauresmo sent a perfectly-judged topspin forehand lob over Myskina to seal the first break of the rubber and go 4-2 up, it seemed the classic turning point – Mauresmo would surely relax and show the superiority over Myskina that their respective rankings, 4 and 13, implied.

But it wasn’t a turning point. Myskina took advantage of some sloppy play from Mauresmo to break back, then promptly dropped serve again. In fact, with both players looking as fragile on serve as a plate in a Greek restaurant, there was a run of seven games without a service hold. That sequence, though, allowed Mauresmo to take the first set 64.

When Mauresmo finally held serve to go 2-1 up in the second set, she did so to love and again it seemed she would canter to victory. Just to underline the disjointed nature of the match, though, Myskina then returned the favour and held to love, before forcing a break point in the following game.

Mauresmo managed to hold serve for 3-2, however, and that did prove the decisive moment. Myskina didn’t win another game, the unforced error count for the Russian reaching a staggering 40 by the end of the rubber. Most of those were on the backhand, including one extraordinary attempted drop shot that floated, like a lob, to the baseline, but it was a forehand that sailed long which handed Mauresmo victory on her first match point.

Myskina had been visibly upset with herself during the match, and is often the case she was constantly gesticulating and shouting at the Russian bench, in particular her coach Jens Gerlach. Her demeanour had not improved much after the match, as she said it was one of the worst matches of her career.

“She gave me a lot of points and made lots of mistakes,” agreed a grateful Mauresmo, who also said she sees tomorrow’s third rubber against Elena Dementieva as a chance to gain revenge for her final set tiebreak loss to the Russian in the US Open quarterfinals in 2004.

“Psychologically that match tomorrow between the number one players will be important,” said Georges Goven. “Both teams will want to win that very much.”

“I played terribly today. I just have to see how I wake up tomorrow,” said Myskina, raising a doubt as to whether she will play the fourth rubber.

There also has to be a question mark over whether Mary Pierce will play that fourth rubber, given the fact she seemed mentally and physically drained in the third set of her match today. Goven acknowledged that he will decide tomorrow if Pierce will play and that if she doesn’t, he already knows who he will nominate in her place.

One thing is certain though – it will be a tense final day that could go either way.

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Demons haunt Mauresmo again as Dementieva puts Russia 2-1 up
Russia has one hand on the Fed Cup after Elena Dementieva put Russia 2-1 up in the 2005 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final.

Dementieva defeated Amelie Mauresmo 64 46 62 in a ferociously-fought contest that fluctuated wildly in quality and momentum as both players were in turn inspired or inhibited by the tension of the occasion. However it was Dementieva who held her nerve to run out the winner in two hours 42 mins for a precious point for her nation.

“I’m just so happy right now, I’ve been waiting a long time for this final and I hope we can do it now,” said a delighted Dementieva.

“It’s a great honour to play in front of 15,000 people and in such a great atmosphere. I don’t think it’s easy for Amelie to play under this pressure with 15,000 people cheering for her.

“I had nothing to lose today, I was trying to hit every ball. And I could hear some Russian fans as well!”

Russia needs just one point from the final two rubbers to retain the trophy and the fourth rubber, between Mary Pierce and Anastasia Myskina, is now underway. Fed Cup Radio is now live with ball-by-ball commentary, as well as live scoring, and we will be bringing you all the latest news and photos too.

So often tennis matches are decided by mental and physical toughness, and in a match as important as the first rubber today, it was no surprise that that turned out to be the case here. Having fought so hard to level the match at one-set apiece, once again Amelie Mauresmo seemed affected by the nerves that have so often plagued her on the big occasions in her career, and she was 3-0 and two breaks down in the third set in no time at all.

However, Dementieva is no stranger to attacks of the jitters herself, and with her famously shaky serve looking vulnerable, Mauresmo seemed to have turned the tide as she came back to 2-3. The sixth game proved crucial, as at 30-all Dementieva pounded a forehand to the corner of the court, only for it to be called out.

Umpire Andreas Egli had angered Mauresmo, Captain Georges Goven and the entire French crowd in the first set when he ruled that a Dementieva groundstroke, which Mauresmo was so sure was out that she stopped playing the point, had caught the line. The point, at 3-all 15-all, was awarded to Dementieva, and the incident upset Mauresmo so much that she never recovered in that opening set, and dropped it 64. It was to her credit that she surged to a 3-0 lead in the second set and eventually edged the set 64.

This time, though, in the third set, Egli confirmed Dementieva’s shot was out, and at 3-2 30-40 Mauresmo had the chance to level at three all. The crowd roared their approval, but a flashing forehand from Dementieva seemed to break Mauresmo’s resolve. Dementieva went on to win the game for a 4-2 lead, a crucial service hold in yet another rubber in this final littered with break points – 36 in all – and service breaks – 14 all told.

The next game went to three deuces, but on the second break point for Dementieva, Mauresmo threw in a tame double fault and the match was as good as over. Dementieva wrapped up the final game with ease, Mauresmo netting a forehand return to bring her 15-match winning streak in Fed Cup to an end.

“I was tired in that third set, but getting 3-0 up gave me the confidence that I could win the match,” said Dementieva.

“I think it was one of the best matches I’ve played this year.”

If Russia go on to retain the Fed Cup, all of Russia will be agreeing with that comment, and toasting Dementieva long into the night.

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Pierce snatches trophy from Russia's grasp
In a classic ‘game of two halves’ Mary Pierce sent the 2005 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas final down to the wire as she reeled off 11 of the last 13 games to defeat Anastasia Myskina 46 64 62.

With one hand on the trophy, Myskina managed to get four of the five fingers of the other hand there too until Pierce gradually and painfully, for the Russian, prised each one away. Russia was just six points away from a successful defence of the Fed Cup before Pierce stormed back to take the tie into a deciding doubles rubber.

In contrast to the afternoon’s first match, Pierce and Myskina were aggressive from the outset and wasted little time in finishing off the points with some hard-hit groundstrokes. The sixth game, which was the longest of the match with four deuces, saw Myskina save four break points and this seemed to inspire her and deflate her opponent.

The Russian, who had not won a single point in Pierce’s first three service games, suddenly summoned up three in a row in the seventh game, as she attempted to put Saturday’s singles defeat against Mauresmo, which she described as ‘one of her worst matches ever’ out of her mind. She ripped a backhand passing shot past a helpless Pierce on the third break point and held on to take the first set 6-4 with a superb cross court backhand.

With her confidence somewhat restored, Myskina began to exploit Pierce’s lack of movement and cleverly moved her opponent around, wrongfooting her on several occasions. After an initial exchange of breaks in the second set, Myskina swept three games, including two more breaks of serve, to lead 4-1.

Emerging from the changeover, Pierce decided on all-out attack, which instantly reaped rewards. Myskina missed an easy backhand at break point in the sixth game and suddenly Pierce and the French crowd sensed that the match was not over.

Myskina fluffed a forehand in the first point of the next game and suddenly the mental fragility, which has plagued the Russian throughout the season, was all too evident and her error count began to grow. Pierce began to realise that she just needed to keep the ball in play and keep her errors down to a minimum to keep France’s Fed Cup hopes alive.

Suddenly, it was 4-4 and although Myskina fashioned a break point opportunity in the next game, Pierce saved it and broke again immediately to send the match into a third set and the crowd into wild celebrations. The momentum had shifted and there was a growing sense of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’.

Myskina finally stopped a run of six successive games to her opponent and then had the Frenchwoman at 0-30 in the third game of the third set. Pierce was not to be denied though, taking ten of the next 11 points on her way to a 4-1 lead, as her opponent becoming increasingly frustrated and despondent, shrieking in disbelief at some of the errors that she was committing.

Myskina survived another break point to earn a stay of execution by holding her serve in the sixth game but Pierce seemed to have the destiny of the match under her control. Two games later, it was all over and a court that had held such fond memories for Myskina until this year had become a place of nightmares.

For the second year running the outcome of the Fed Cup will now be decided in the final doubles rubber.

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Russia wins incredible final to take Fed Cup by BNP Paribas
In one of the most dramatic weekends of tennis for many years, Russia has retained the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas after a titanic struggle against a valiant France.

In the gathering gloom, the clock showing 19:55 local time, a forehand return from Amelie Mauresmo sailed long, and the scratch pairing of Elena Dementieva and Dinara Safina had defeated Amelie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce 64 16 63 in the deciding fifth rubber.

Well though 19-year-old Dinara Safina played in such pressurised circumstances, it was Elena Dementieva who was the Russian heroine this weekend, winning all three rubbers she played, emulating her teammate Anastasia Myskina’s feat last year when Russia won this coveted trophy for the first time.

Dementieva had been saying all week how much she wanted to win this Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final, having been on the losing side for Russia in the 1999 Final, to USA, and in the 2001 Final to Belgium, before missing out on last year’s win over France due to injury.

"It's my third Fed Cup Final but the first time that I have won so I am really happy," said Dementieva, beaming from ear to ear.

Typically, though, she refused to accept all the credit, and was keen to emphasise Myskina's contrbution this year, even if she did lose both rubbers she played this weekend.

"I am not the heroine, the team won, not any individual.

"Although Anastasia lost today, if she hadn't beaten Venus Williams in the semifinal, we may not have been here."

The French were understandably desperately disappointed to have lost such a close contest, but they seemed to take some solace in having given their all and played a huge part in such a memorable final.

"I am proud of my performance this weekend," said Pierce. "We played some high-level tennis. The public were great. It's just a pity that we didn't win."

The tennis in this Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Final had been variable in quality but never less than utterly compelling. It was almost inevitable that it would go down to a final decisive doubles rubber, just as the final between these two teams in Moscow did last year, and then that it would go to a final set, with one side and then the other seemingly having the momentum.

At around 17:00 this afternoon Russia had all but retained the trophy, with Anastasia Myskina 4-1 up in the second set against Mary Pierce and just six points from glory at 30-all. Somehow Mary Pierce managed to keep France’s hopes alive and force a decisive fifth rubber, and having pulled out such a stunning fightback, French Captain Georges Goven decided to nominate Pierce instead of Nathalie Dechy for the crucial final rubber.

Three breaks of serve began the match to underline the nerves on court, but it was France who had the early advantage as Pierce held for 3-1. Goven’s decision looked to be paying off. Equally Dementieva and Safina, who had never played together at any level, did not seem to be gelling as a team.

Once again though just when one nation seemed to have grabbed the initiative, back came their opponents. Showing glimpses of the doubles form that took her to the final at the US Open just a week ago alongside Flavia Pennetta, Dementieva started to get her game together, and Safina in turn began to feed off her partner’s growing confidence. A delicate crosscourt backhand from Safina gave Russia the first set, and one wondered if France had run out of chances to win the trophy, especially when Russia went 1-0 up in the second set having won twelve straight points.

Of course that was just a cue for another seismic shift in the direction of the match, and France were soon on a run of their own to reel off six straight games. For the first time since the 1991 Final, the Fed Cup would be decided by a final set of a final rubber – eerily reminiscent of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final in 2002 between these two nations in the same city.

However when France broke Safina’s serve in the first game of the final set for a seventh consecutive game, and doing so from 40-0 down at that, there were few inside a fervent Court Philippe Chatrier who thought that Russia could beat France in a final set again, as the men had done in that Davis Cup Final. Indeed, the visitors’ hopes were fading as fast as the light, and a first French Fed Cup success on home soil was surely just a matter of time.

It was not to be. There was instead time for more twists in this extraordinary story, and the final chapter began with Amelie Mauresmo dropping serve thanks to four volleying errors. The confidence almost visibly drained from her at that point, and although the match went on serve to 3-2 for Russia, Mauresmo lost her next service game to love and Russia were once again on the brink of victory at 4-2.

After having a point for 5-2 though, Dementieva lost her serve and the prospect of a third day’s play looked a distinct possibility if Pierce could hold serve for 4-all, such was the darkness descending on the court. At 30-all, Dementieva drilled a winner down the line, and Safina then flashed an inside-out forehand past the helpless Mauresmo onto the line to put Russia 5-3 up.

Finally, these really were the killer blows, and Safina served out the match with relative ease after a total of ten hours six minutes of pulsating action over the weekend.

It had been an incredibly tense one hour 47 minute final rubber, a fitting end to a marvellous weekend of competition in which every player that took to the court gave everything for their countries. Tennis - sport even - doesn't come any more passionate and dramatic than this.

Marat Safin phoned his little sister Dinara after the match to congratulate her, an appropriate gesture on a day when the 15,000 privileged to be inside Roland Garros saw that the Fed Cup, for so long regarded as the little sister of the Davis Cup, has finally grown up.

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