Translated material
Happy Glade
Our girls made it to the final of the Federation Cup
The Russian women's team reached the final of the Federation Cup for the third time in the last four years. In the semi-finals, which took place in the American town of Stowe, captain Shamil Tarpishchev’s team defeated the Americans with a score of 3:2. Now in the final match, which will take place on September 15-16 in Russia, our athletes will meet with the Italians, who defeated the French with the same score.Meanwhile, before the start of the American semi-final, all the arguments were against the Russians: and the refusal of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova, who had previously been announced for the match, to take the court due to injuries. And the untimely issuance of an American visa to captain Shamil Tarpishchev, as a result of which the preparation of our team was actually disrupted. And the location of the semi-final is at an altitude of 1100 m above sea level, in the middle mountains. Which, naturally, affected not only the well-being of Russian tennis players, but also, as experts noted, the speed of the ball. To this can be added problems with acclimatization and time zone change. Nevertheless, despite everything, the Russians won a fantastic victory, perhaps the most difficult in all respects.
As expected, the fate of the semi-final was decided in the last, doubles match. Before this fight, the scoreboard of the temporary stadium, which seats 4,100 spectators and is located in a large clearing in a mountain gorge, displayed the score 2:2. The Americans deviated somewhat from the usual scenario for such team tournaments. Figuratively speaking, they shoveled it in their own way. During breaks between games, cheerful jazz music played in the stadium and young people jumped out, trying to imitate some “steps”. All this looked somewhat unusual for a game like tennis, with its hundred-year-old traditions.
However, be that as it may, the first winning point for the Russian team was brought by Anna Chakvetadze, who easily defeated Vanya King - 6:1, 6:3. In a commentary after the match, Tarpishchev admitted that Chakvetadze played brilliantly, fanned out all over the court, served beautifully and never allowed the young American to get drawn into the game. However, then Nadezhda Petrova lost to Venus Williams - 6:7 (6:8), 6:0, 4:6, after which she admitted that this defeat from the elder Williams greatly upset her. “Everything was in my hands, and I lost,” said the Russian woman. “Apparently, the nerves and responsibility that weighed on me took their toll.”
The second day made the participants of both teams quite nervous. Due to possible rain, the start of the matches was planned to be delayed for some time. However, the forecasts of the weather forecasters did not come true, although the cameras continually showed clouds gathering over the open stadium. Anna Chakvetadze, who entered the court first, did not have enough confidence to beat the experienced Venus Williams. In the first set, the Russian woman openly resembled a “whipping girl.” Chakvetadze did absolutely nothing. Suffice it to say that Anna made 12 double faults. Only towards the end of this set did the Russian manage to win the game and looked a little different in the second set. The key moment of this confrontation was the score 5:2 in favor of Williams, when, one step away from victory, she gave up her serve and allowed Chakvetadze to win two more games. If it weren’t for the Russian’s annoying mistakes, she could have easily leveled the score, and it is unknown how this match would have turned out, but in the end she lost - 1:6, 4:6.
Since the bet on the young talent Vanya King did not pay off, the captain of the American team, Zina Garrison, replaced her with 29-year-old Maylen Tu, who was opposed by Nadezhda Petrova. The risk did not pay off. The debutante failed. In 62 min. Petrova showed who is who, winning 6:1, 6:2.
Before the decisive doubles match, Zina Garrison had no choice but to throw her main forces into battle - Venus Williams, who brought two points to her team, and Lisa Raymond, who ranks second in the world doubles ranking. However, this did not save the Americans from defeat. Nadezhda Petrova and Elena Vesnina defeated the home team - 7:6 (7:1), 7:5, bringing their team a decisive winning point - 3:2.
After the match, 20-year-old Vesnina called this victory the best moment in her sports career. “I was very nervous because it was the most important match for me and my country. I don’t have words to describe it,” admitted Elena. And her duet colleague Nadezhda Petrova said that after the match ended she experienced something fantastic. “I did it and I’m happier than ever,” the tennis player rejoiced.