Czechs beat Germany 4-1 in Fed Cup

Stuttgart (Germany): Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova rallied to beat Germany’s Sabine Lisicki on Sunday, sending defending champion Czech Republic into the semifinals of the Fed Cup.

Angelique Kerber later beat Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-4 to salvage some pride for the hosts. It was the 24-year-old German’s first Fed Cup win. Kvitova edged Lisicki 6-7 (2), 6-4, 6-1 to give the Czechs an insurmountable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five first-round series. Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova made it a 4-1 victory with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Julia Georges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the doubles. The Czechs will face Italy on April 21-22. Bureau Report