By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, November 10, 2018
Katerina Siniakova beat Alison Riske, 6-3, 7-6 (2), staking the host Czech Republic to a commanding 2-0 lead over defending champion United States in the Fed Cup final.
Photo credit: Fed Cup Facebook
The shiny silver Fed Cup trophy gleaming near the court awaits the winner of this weekend's final.
Katerina Siniakova played like a woman preparing to put her fingerprints all over the celebrated cup.
Watch: Strycova Subdues Kenin In Fed Cup Final Opener
Siniakova stormed through the tie break stopping American Alison Riske, 6-3, 7-6 (2), staking the host Czech Republic to a commanding 2-0 lead over defending champion United States in the Fed Cup final at the O2 Arena in Prague.
The 31st-ranked Siniakova can clinch the Czech Republic's sixth Fed Cup championship in the last eight years by beating debutant Sofia Kenin in tomorrow's opening reverse singles.
If Kenin prevails, Riske is scheduled to play Barbora Strycova in the second reverse singles though either U.S. captain Kathy Rinaldi or Czech captain Petr Pala can substitute if they choose.
Weeping during the national anthem, 32-year-old veteran Strycova launched the final Fed Cup tie of her career fighting off a feisty Kenin, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4, in the opener of the best-of-five match final.
A shortage of star power marked the start of this Fed Cup final, but both nations delivered plenty of energizing effort.
American veterans Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, CoCo Vandeweghe and Bethanie Mattek-Sands are out for this final, while world No. 8 Karolina Pliskova is nursing an injury and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is sidelined by illness for the Czech Republic.
Three straight holds opened today's second match.
Riske is a low-ball hitter, Siniakova knows it and punished the flat-hitting American's forehand banging out the break for 3-1.
Down 1-4, Riske found a higher gear rolling through a hold then blasting a backhand winner down the line that helped her carve out a love break for 3-4.
Stalling her slide, Siniakova slashed a clean forehand winner down the line breaking back in the eighth game.
Siniakova, who can get emotional on court at times, showed no trace of nerves at closing time. Blond pony-tail bouncing offer her back as she launched herself over the court, Siniakova rocketed an ace down the T closing the opening set in 42 minutes.
Playing with a black brace wrapping her left ankle, Riske was driving her returns with greater purpose at the start of the second set. Riske elicited a series of errors breaking for a 3-1 second-set lead.
Stepping into the court and playing off her front foot more forcefully, the 22-year-old Czech cranked a diagonal forehand winner breaking back in the fifth game.
A calm Riske chatted with captain Rinaldi during changeovers and maintained aggression during baseline rallies. Riske delivered a pair of decisive holds—capping one with a slick stretch volley and another with a soft and subtle half-volley—extending her lead to 5-4.
Siniakova was two points from facing a third set at 30-all, but she held her nerve and serve in the 10th game.
The 28-year-old American hit her second double fault then flat-lined a backhand into net to face double break point in the 11th game.
Ripping a crosscourt return, Siniakova belted a backhand into the opposite corner running Riske into an error to break for 6-5.
Correctly challenging a wide serve that was ruled an ace, Riske painted the sideline with a flat forehand down the line. That bold strike helped her break back to force the tie break.
A fired-up Siniakova was the aggressor throughout the breaker. Belting a bounce-smash into the corner, she bolted out to a 4-0 lead.
On the second match point, Riske steered a backhand down the line wide as Siniakova put the host Czech Republic one win from a return to Fed Cup supremacy.
The Czechs own a 10-1 record in Fed Cup finals with their lone loss coming to an all-star American squad of Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver, who are all in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, in the 1986 final staged on red clay in Prague.