Kerber puts Germany into Fed Cup final

Brisbane: Angelique Kerber put Germany into their first Fed Cup final in 22 years with a fighting victory over Australia`s Samantha Stosur in the semi-final in Brisbane on Sunday.

World number seven Kerber fought back from dropping the opening set to beat former US Open champion Stosur 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 in two hours 14 minutes to give Germany an unassailable 3-0 lead over Australia. Germany will play either the Czech Republic or Italy in the final. Left-hander Kerber showed great resilience to bounce back and win seven games straight after the opening set to turn around the momentum, fighting off the 19th-ranked Stosur to take victory and put Germany into this year`s final. Germany last won the competition in 1992 when Steffi Graf and Anke Huber starred in the team which defeated Spain. The Germans took a firm grip on the semi-final winning Saturday`s opening two singles rubbers in the best-of-five match tie. "It`s a really special moment for us," Kerber said. "We are all working hard to get to the final and win against Australia." It was Kerber`s first win in three encounters against Stosur. "It was tough and I knew I had to play my best tennis to beat Sam because she is a Grand Slam champion," Kerber said. "After the first set I was just thinking about playing for the team and I was fighting until the last point. "I was a little bit nervous on the last points but now I`m just happy. "After 1992 we are now in the final and it means a lot for Germany and it`s an honour for all of us."