STUTTGART, April 22, 2017

Germany leads 2-0 over the Ukraine after the opening day of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Play-off tie, held in front of about 4,000 spectators at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart.

Angelique Kerber

In Saturday’s second singles rubber, Angelique Kerber eased past Lesia Tsurenko, winning 6-1, 6-4. The World No. 1, who returned to the host’s team after missing Germany’s defeat by the United States in this year’s first round, won 74 per cent of her first service points and capitalized on all of her four break point opportunities to seal victory in one hour and nine minutes.

“It was a nice feeling to get on the court with a 1-0 lead,” Kerber told afterwards. “I haven’t played for a longer time but being part of this team this week is something special. It is really fun and I took this good atmosphere to the court today and played very well. I am very pleased with our 2-0 lead. Considering that it was my first match on clay this season it went pretty well. I am trying to develop my game in order to be more aggressive and dominant during my matches.”

Görges Puts Germany In Front

Earlier the day, Julia Görges enjoyed a perfect start into the weekend, defeating Elina Svitolina 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to give Germany a 1-0 lead. The 28-year-old Regensburg resident sent down seven aces, hitting 29 winners to prevail in two hours and two minutes.

Team Germany is in great shape now heading into Sunday’s reverse singles rubbers. Kerber, however, lost all out of the three last encounters with Svitolina. Their overall head-to-head record is tied at 5-5.

Barbara Rittner

“I have never played against Elina on clay. She has a lot of defensive skills on the court and you need to be very patient. During the last match we played in Dubai, I wasn’t at 100 per cent due to an injury. I followed her match today and I know what to expect from our encounter tomorrow,” Kerber said.

Despite Saturday’s success, Germany’s Fed Cup captain Barbara Rittner is confident that her team will stay grounded.

“Julia and Angie are very experienced players. We are very relieved that we could get this lead but we still need to win another point and you always have to keep your focus against such a strong opponent.”