US ties Czech Republic 1-1 in Fed Cup semis

BRNO, Czech Republic (AP) — Rookie Alexa Glatch upset Iveta Benesova 6-1, 6-2 Saturday to give the United States a 1-1 tie with the Czech Republic after the opening singles of the Fed Cup semifinals.

Petra Kvitova defeated American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the first match on the indoor hard court at Rondo Arena.

Glatch, playing her debut match for the U.S. team, dominated the first set and broke the 29th-ranked Benesova in the second and fourth game to take a commanding 5-0 lead.

"I tried to be pretty aggressive on returns," Glatch said. "It's key for me to be aggressive and take my chances."

Glatch, ranked 114th, broke Benesova in the opening game of the second as the favored Czech struggled throughout the match. Glatch broke again in the seventh game and clinched the win in only 56 minutes when Benesova's return hit the net.

Benesova, who is 3-9 in Fed Cup, said she may give up her spot for future matches.

"I'm struggling in the Fed Cup," she said. "I play like I'm No.500, and that's not enough."

In the first match, Kvitova showed no sign of a recent ankle injury. She was declared fit to play on Friday.

"The ankle was not a problem," she said. "I was just nervous at the beginning. I was trying to focus on my game and that worked."

The 19-year-old Kvitova broke her opponent for a 3-1 lead in the first set when Mattek-Sands double-faulted, and then again in the ninth game to take the set.

The 39th-ranked Mattek-Sands, who was also making her Fed Cup debut, fought back in the second and broke Kvitova in the seventh game. But she failed to serve out the set as Kvitova rallied from 3-5 down to force a tiebreaker.

"I should have held my serve," Mattek-Sands. "I didn't play well today. She came with great shots and I didn't know how to respond."

In the tiebreaker, Kvitova relied on her solid serve to take a 5-0 lead. She improved her record to 4-1 in Fed Cup singles.

"When I leveled the score for 5-5, I knew it's going to be a fight," the 48th-ranked Kvitova said. "I'm glad I didn't give it up and fought to the end."

Reverse singles and the doubles are scheduled for Sunday. The winner of the series will face Russia or Italy in the Nov. 7-8 final.

The U.S. has won a record 17 Fed Cup titles but its last victory came in 2000.