Russia and Spain Cruise into Fed Cup Final

Russia and Spain have handily advanced to the 2008 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas championship round after defeating their semifinal opponents on Sunday.

Russia, the defending champions, powered past the United States 3-2 while Spain dropped just one match for a 4-1 victory against China PR.

WORLD GROUP SEMIFINALS

RUSSIA defeated USA 3-2
Small Sport Arena “Luzhniki”, Moscow, Russia (clay – indoors)

Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) d. Vania King (USA) 64 75
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Ahsha Rolle (USA) 62 61
Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. Vania King (USA) 46 63 62
Ahsha Rolle (USA) d. Elena Vesnina (RUS) 63 64
Liezel Huber/Vania King (USA) d. Svetlana Kuznetsova/Elena Vesnina (RUS) 76(3) 64

SPAIN defeated CHINA, P.R. 4-1
Beijing International Tennis Center, Beijing, China, P.R. (hard – indoors)

Carla Suarez-Navarro (ESP) d. Shuai Peng (CHN) 63 76(4)
Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) d. Jie Zheng (CHN) 63 64
Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) d. Shuai Peng (CHN) 64 64
Jie Zheng (CHN) d. Carla Suarez-Navarro (ESP) 76(5) 63
Maria-Jose Martinez Sanchez/Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) d. Shuai Peng/Tian-Tian Sun (CHN) 62 61

WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS

ITALY defeated UKRAINE 3-2
Geovillage, Olbia, Italy (clay – outdoors)

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Mariya Koryttseva (UKR) 36 76(0) 75
Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. Karin Knapp (ITA) 63 63
Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Alona Bondarenko (UKR) 75 63
Sara Errani (ITA) d. Katerina Bondarenko (UKR) 63 62
Mariya Koryttseva/Tatiana Perebiynis (UKR) d. Sara Errani/Karin Knapp (ITA) 06 76(4) 63

FRANCE defeated JAPAN 4-1
Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, Japan (hard – indoors)

Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 60 62
Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 61 75
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) d. Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 61 64
Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. Aiko Nakamura 64 64
Ayumi Morita/Ai Sugiyama (JPN) d. Alize Cornet/Nathalie Dechy (FRA) 61 63

ARGENTINA defeated GERMANY 3-1
Pilara Tenis Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina (clay – outdoors)

Gisela Dulko (ARG) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 62 62
Martina Muller (GER) d. Jorgelina Cravero (ARG) 61 60
Gisela Dulko (ARG) d. Martina Muller (GER) 62 64
Betina Jozami (ARG) d. Angelique Kerber (GER) 63 61
Sabine Lisicki/Jasmin Woehr (GER) d. Jorgelina Cravero/Betina Jozami (ARG) 60 16 76(2)

CZECH REPUBLIC defeated ISRAEL 3-2
Israel Tennis Center - Canada Stadium, Ramat Hasharon, Israel (hard – outdoors)

Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Shahar Peer (ISR) 26 63 60
Tzipora Obziler (ISR) d. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 60 36 64
Iveta Benesova (CZE) d. Shahar Peer (ISR) 67(6) 63 64
Tzipora Obziler (ISR) d. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 63 64
Iveta Benesova/Kveta Peschke (CZE) d. Tzipora Obziler/Shahar Peer (ISR) 64 63

WORLD GROUP II PLAY-OFFS

BELGIUM defeated COLOMBIA 5-0
Mons Expo, Mons, Belgium (hard – indoors)

Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. Catalina Castano (COL) 61 60
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) 64 63
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Yuliana Lizarazo (COL) 60 60
Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) d. Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) 64 63
Debbrich Feys/Caroline Maes (BEL) d. Yuliana Lizarazo/Alexandra Moreno-Kaste (COL) 62 63

SWITZERLAND defeated AUSTRIA 3-2
Messestadion Dornbirn (Halle 6), Dornbirn, Austria (hard – indoors)

Sybille Bammer (AUT) d. Emmanuelle Gagliardi (SUI) 75 63
Patty Schnyder (SUI) d. Tamira Paszek (AUT) 67(5) 62 61
Sybille Bammer (AUT) d. Patty Schnyder (SUI) 64 60
Stefanie Voegele (SUI) d. Tamira Paszek (AUT) 46 61 75
Emmanuelle Gagliardi/Patty Schnyder (SUI) d. Melanie Klaffner/Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) 60 61

SLOVAK REPUBLIC defeated UZBEKISTAN 5-0
Sibamac Arena, Bratislava, Slovak Republic (clay – indoors)

Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) 76(4) 62
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Iroda Tulyaganova (UZB) 76(4) 75
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) 76(9) 64
Kristina Kucova (SVK) d. Vlada Ekshibarova (UZB) 61 26 64
Janette Husarova/Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Vlada Ekshibarova/Albina Khabibulina (UZB) 60 62

SERBIA defeated CROATIA 3-2
Dom Sportova, Zagreb, Croatia (hard – indoors)

Ana Jovanovic (SRB) d. Jelena Kostanic-Tosic (CRO) 64 75
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Nika Ozegovic (CRO) 61 62
Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. Nika Ozegovic (CRO) 75 61
Ana Vrljic (CRO) d. Teodora Mircic (SRB) 64 75
Jelena Kostanic-Tosic/Ana Vrljic (CRO) d. Ana Jovanovic/Teodora Mircic (SRB) 4-1 ret. (Jovanovic right toe injury)

Spain will host Russia in the final round, which will be held September 13-14.