Australia takes 2-0 lead over Russia

Published January 08, 2015

Hobart, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Casey Dellacqua and Samantha Stosur gave Australia a 2-0 lead over Russia in their best-of-five quarterfinal Fed Cup tie.

Dellacqua cruised past Irina Khromacheva 6-0, 6-2 in the opening rubber at Hobart's Domain Tennis Centre. The Australian smacked 19 forehand winners in a match that lasted just 58 minutes.

Stosur beat 16-year-old Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-0 in a match that lasted 57 minutes.

The four-time Fed Cup champion Russians are playing without any of their top stars. Khromacheva is ranked 241st in the world and Kudermetova is 650th.

Australia will have a chance to clinch the tie when Stosur takes on Khromacheva in the first reverse singles match Sunday. Dellacqua is then slated to face Kudermetova, although Russian captain Anastasia Myskina can make changes to the lineup.

The doubles match is scheduled to pit Dellacqua and Ashleigh Barty against a Russian duo of Victoria Kan and Valeria Solvyeva.

Russia is 3-0 all-time versus the seven-time champ Aussies, with the series dating back to 1998. Australia went 3-0 versus the former Soviet Union from 1978-83.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/australia-takes-2-0-lead-over-russia