STUTTGART, Germany (AFP) - Petra Kvitova put the Czech Republic into a sixth Fed Cup final in eight years following her win against Angelique Kerber on Sunday (April 22), which eventually led to a 4-1 semi-final victory over Germany.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, needed just 58 minutes to power her way to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Kerber and give the Czechs an unassailable 3-1 lead in Stuttgart.
After the Czechs had gone 2-0 up on Saturday, Julia Goerges had given hosts Germany a brief lifeline by beating Karolina Pliskova before Kvitova's decisive win.
"I am very relieved. I was getting nervous before this game," admitted Kvitova.
"We had a great position from yesterday, I think Julia played a really good match.
"I knew we still needed one point from our last two games and I just did my best."
The Czechs will meet the United States in the November final.
Madison Keys saw off Pauline Parmentier in two sets to fire the Americans into the Fed Cup final with a 3-1 semi-final win over France on Sunday.
Keys, 13th in the world, defeated the 122nd-ranked Parmentier 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.
In Sunday's final doubles tie between the Czechs and Germans, Barbora Strycova and Katerina Siniakova were declared winners of the dead rubber after Goerges, playing alongside Anna-Lena Groenefeld, retired hurt.
After the Czechs won the first set 7-5, it was a bitter end to the day for Goerges.
She had pulled the Germans back into the tie with a determined 6-4, 6-2 win over Pliskova.
However, in the final singles rubber, Kerber failed to maintain the momentum from Goerges' win.
"It will take a while to get over it," admitted Kerber.
"We all know that was a great opportunity for us," she added, as the Germans missed out on a first appearance in the Fed Cup final since 2014.
The Czechs had won the title three times in a row until the US dethroned them last year.
Sloane Stephens had put the US on the verge of the final after brushing aside Kristina Mladenovic 6-2, 6-0 in Sunday's first rubber in Aix-en-Provence.
It was world No. 20 Mladenovic who had given France a fighting chance when ending Coco Vandeweghe's 13-match Fed Cup win streak to pull France level at 1-1 on Saturday.
But she was unable to repeat those heroics against the US Open champion who had given the Americans their first point when defeating Parmentier 7-6 (7-3), 7-5 in Saturday's opening rubber.
