Spain, Russia seize Fed Cup advantage

BEIJING, April 27 -- Five-time champion Spain surged to a 2-0 lead over China in their Fed Cup semifinal in Beijing yesterday, helped by Carla Suarez-Navarro's victory over her much higher ranked opponent.

In Moscow, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Anna Chakvetadze recorded straight-sets wins over low-key opponents to give holder Russia a 2-0 lead against the United States in the other semifinal.

China, bidding to reach its first Fed Cup final, stumbled in the first singles rubber when world No. 68 Peng Shuai was outplayed by 132-ranked Suarez-Navarro 3-6, 6-7 (4) at the Beijing International Tennis Center.

The Spaniard's powerful backhand and speed forced Peng into a series of errors that she could not make up for.

"I was in a mess on court," Peng said. "I always made mistakes at the key points I ought to win."

The 19-year-old Suarez-Navarro showed her calmness before some 2,000 spectators, who were enthusiastically cheering for the hosts.

"I felt a little bit nervous in front of such crazy crowds, but later I concentrated and played more and more confidently," she said.

China's misery continued in the second singles rubber when top-ranked Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives scored a 6-3, 6-4 victory over twice grand slam doubles champion Zheng Jie, who had recently come back after ankle surgery.

World No. 76 Llagostera Vives successfully suppressed Zheng's attempt to fight back in the second set, winning a fifth game of 10 deuces.

Spain needs victory in just one of the three remaining rubbers being played today to book a place in the final. China would need to win both reverse singles and the doubles to progress.

In Moscow, world No. 7 Chakvetadze beat 115th-ranked Vania King 6-4, 7-5 in the opening singles before world No. 4 Kuznetsova overpowered Ahsha Rolle, making her Fed Cup debut, 6-2, 6-1 in the second rubber.

Chakvetadze, who crushed King 6-1, 6-3 in last year's Fed Cup semifinal in Vermont - their only previous meeting, blamed her nerves for failing to close out the match earlier.

"I had two match points at 5-4, 40-15 and instead of going for it I started to play more cautious," she said.

In Monte Carlo, Monaco, three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal reached the Monte Carlo Masters final with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko yesterday.

The second-seeded Spaniard will meet either world No. 1 Roger Federer of Switzerland or Serbian Novak Djokovic, seeded third, in today's final.