Fed Cup: Israel vs Ukraine 1-1 after day 1
After the first day of action Ukraine and Israel are tie 1-1 in the first round of the Fed Cup.
Shahar Peer needed to battle during 3 sets to beat Kateryna Bondarenko 63 67 63 while Alona Bondarenko defeated Tzipi Obziler 6-4 6-4 early in the day.
Obziler and Peer will have to win their rubbers on Sunday if Israel wants to give us all a surprise.
Meanwhile Volodymyr Bogdanov, the Ukraine coach, said it was “95 per cent certain” that if the tie was still level after the second day’s reverse singles he would be changing his doubles pairing to the Bondarenko sisters.
The Israelis are in defiant mood and even Obziler vowed to be “more than ready” for her rubber against Kateryna.
“In the third set she had the momentum but I broke it and I think I won the match by doing the right things,” said Peer, who clinched it on a double fault.
Whatever qualities the first rubber had, service certainly wasn’t one of them. In fact the first seven games went against serve and it was obvious that whoever finally did hold serve would probably take the set, which Alona Bondarenko did, whereupon she then raised her game.
“Typical women’s tennis, no?” said Obziler with a smile.
Information from Fed Cup
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