SPAIN and Germany are through to what is now effectively quarter finals in the 2020 Draft Central Fed Cup Fantasy Tennis competition. The two nations overcame Slovakia and Switzerland to hand those opponents their second loss of the group stage and ensure they could not qualify for the semi-finals. With all eight sides to face off in the third round of group matches having a win, they are all virtual elimination finals with the winners to advance through to the semis.

SPAIN (2) defeated SLOVAKIA (1)

Spain quickly wrapped up its tie against Slovakia in a combined two and a half hours for the singles matches with its top two players winning through without a real challenge. Garbine Muguruza was ultra-impressive against 82nd ranked Viktoria Kuzmova, winning the first seven games of the match on her way to a 6-0 6-2 victory. Whilst Kuzmova broke Muguruza early in the second set and led 2-1 at one stage, the Grand Slam winner finished strongly to claim the last five games of the match.

The second match was just as one sided as retiring veteran, Carla Suarez Navarro used all of her Fed Cup experience to lead 5-1 just 28 minutes into the first set. Magdalena Rybarikova challenged her more experienced opponent late in the set to claw it back to 3-5, before Suarez Navarro held serve to win the set 6-3. After Rybarikova won the opening game of set two, Suarez Navarro piled on five consecutive games until the Slovakian held for the second time in the seventh game. Serving out the match, Suarez Navarro ensured her nation lived to fight another day with the 6-3 6-2 victory.

Kuzmova returned to the court for Slovakia, once again joined by youngster, Tereza Mihalikova to take on regular doubles pairing, Sara Sorribes Tormo and Georgia Garcia Perez. It was the Slovakians who got the better of the Spaniards in the first set, restricting them to three games and winning the last three of the set to serve it out, 6-3. The Spanish duo hit back in the second to win the first two games, before the Slovakians again surged to go up 3-2. That was it for the second set however, as the higher ranked partnership won the last four games to level the score at a set apiece. Kuzmova and Mihalikova burst out of the blocks in the final set, winning the first four games and not even giving the Spanish side a chance as they romped on to win 6-1 and secure a dead rubber match win 6-3 3-6 6-1.

Garbine Muguruza (ESP) defeated Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) 6-0 6-2
Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) defeated Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 6-3 6-2
V. Kuzmova / T. Mihalikova (SVK) defeated S. Sorribes Tormo / G. Garcia Perez (ESP) 6-3 3-6 6-1

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GERMANY (3) defeated SWITZERLAND (0)

In the final round two group match, Germany booked a spot in the virtual quarter finals with a straight sweep of Switzerland. It was not without early challenges however, as world number eight Belinda Bencic pushed Grand Slam winner, Angelique Kerber all the way. Bencic claimed the first set 6-3, winning four of the first five games and then holding serve twice more to open her account on the day. The Swiss up-and-comer broke the German in the opening game of the second set, and again in the third game, whilst being broken in between. She led 3-1 at one stage, but then Kerber got her signature game going that took her to the top of the world rankings. Winning five of the last six games, the German levelled the match at a set apiece, and then piled on five consecutive games in the deciding set – as part of eight consecutive games. It helped Kerber take the crucial match 3-6 6-4 6-1 in what was considered the real danger game for the higher ranked German side.

Julia Goerges proved too good for Jil Teichmann in their clash straight after, trailing 2-3 at one stage before winning seven consecutive games o take the first set 6-3 and lead 3-0 in the second. Teichmann broke back and returned serve to level the match at 4-4, and then both players went tit-for-tat at the end of the second set to go into an 11th and 12th game. In the end it was the experience of Goerges that won out to ensure Germany got through, claiming the match in straight sets, 6-3 7-5.

Given their Fed Cup campaign was officially over, teenager Leonie Kung got her chance in the doubles with the lowly ranked doubles player a fan of the format – playing 30 tournaments – and was in-form in 2020 through the singles moving into the top 200. She teamed up with Bencic to go up against the highly fancied Anna-Lena Friedsam and Laura Siegemund. It looked to be an even contest at one stage, with the Swiss underdogs leading 3-2, only for the Germans to win 10 of the next 12 games to run away with the contest. Friedsam and Siegmund won 6-4 6-1 in an hour and 38 minutes to complete the sweep, but it was far from a disgrace for the Swiss young guns.

Angelique Kerber (GER) defeated Belinda Bencic (SUI) 3-6 6-4 6-1
Julia Goerges (GER) defeated Jil Teichmann (SUI) 6-3 7-5
A. Friedsam / L. Siegmund (GER) defeated B. Bencic / L. Kung (SUI) 6-4 6-1