An Ashleigh Barty-powered Australia seized their moment when tennis briefly stole the spotlight in April, but they aren't done yet after booking the country's first Fed Cup finals appearance in 26 years. World No.9 Barty won all three of her matches in Brisbane to improve her unbeaten run to 14 in the teams event and become the first woman to win all six matches on the way to a Fed Cup decider. A tense weekend came down to the doubles rubber, with Barty and Samantha Stosur beating Belarus pair Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka in a thrilling decider 7-5 3-6 6-2. Ash Barty and Sam Stosur celebrate after winning their Fed Cup semifinal over Belarus Chris Hyde/Getty Images Australia will host the final in November against the winner of France and Romania, a tie which is currently locked at 1-1. Australian captain Alicia Molik remained calm on the sidelines but beneath that exterior was fully aware of the significance as Australia chase their first title since 1974. "It was just an incredible weekend," Molik said. "How fabulous for them (the crowd) to watch role models like this ... I hope they were watching us, not (AFL team) Carlton. "Everyone loves to support the Aussies, but the Aussie Open feels like it comes and goes so quickly (in January). "I feel fortunate ... to have the stage in April and we'll get to share it again in November. "I don't remember anyone talking about just making the final and I think that's a good thing." Barty was a class above all weekend and it wasn't missed by a gracious Belarus team who were led on Sunday by former world No.1 and two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka. Her 6-1 6-1 domination of Stosur gave Belarus the momentum after Barty had beaten world No.10 Aryna Sabalenka 6-2 6-2 to edge Australia ahead 2-1. "It was that close; the whole weekend was just an extraordinary display of women's tennis and I was just so happy to be a part of that," Azarenka said. "They just took their opportunities a little better. "They were really good today ... for me personally I walked off with a smile because I'm very proud of my team." An Australian Fed Cup record crowd of 9554 across both days sat mesmerised as both teams threw everything at each other in the tie. Barty was ice cool all weekend, striding calmly onto court with three-year-old niece Lucy in her arms on Sunday before switching into game mode. Molik's decision to stick with Stosur for both of Sunday's matches was a brave one, but the 35-year-old recovered remarkably. Blown away by Azarenka earlier in the day - Stosur only held serve once all match - the veteran reset to improve her perfect Fed Cup doubles record to 8-0 thanks to some quick hands and assured court craft under immense pressure. Both women will depart for the clay and grass courts of Europe before returning for a November home final in a city to be confirmed.<doc-sep>Barty had some trouble in the first set against the two-time Australian Open champion and saved three break points at 5-5 to go on to win 7-6(2) 6-3 and level the tie at 1-1. Aryna Sabalenka earlier gave Belarus a strong start to the tie when she beat former U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur 7-5 5-7 6-3 in two hours, 47 minutes. "I knew the first set would be key," Barty said of her match against her current doubles partner. Roland-Garros Nadal, Djokovic and Federer in same half of juicy French Open draw YESTERDAY AT 15:19 Ashleigh Barty of Australia embraces Victoria Azarenka of Belarus following their first round match of the Fed Cup tennis semi-final between Australia and Belarus at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane on April 20, 2019 Image credit: Getty Images I dug myself into a hole in that 5-5 game but I went back to what I do well and got out of it. "For me it was just about me coming out and doing every thing right. I prepared really well all week." World number 10 Sabalenka looked completely out of sorts in the first two sets against Stosur, with both players struggling to hold serve. Sabalenka, however, turned up her power game in the third and after establishing a 4-1 lead blew her first match point opportunity in the eighth game on Stosur's serve when she blasted a backhand volley wide with the court open. She raced out to a 40-0 lead in the next game and while Stosur saved her second match point, the Australian sent a backhand long on the next point that gave Belarus a 1-0 lead. Ashleigh Barty of Australia celebrates her victory over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus during their first round match of the Fed Cup tennis semi-final between Australia and Belarus at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane on April 20, 2019. Image credit: Getty Images "It was an unbelievable match," Sabalenka said. "She played so quick, I couldn't touch the ball on her returns. You must fight for each point. I'm happy to have handled her level today Australia captain Alicia Molik praised Stosur's performance but also hinted that she may change her lineup for the reverse singles on Sunday, depending on how the 35-year-old recovers. Australia are attempting to reach their first Fed Cup final since 1993. They have not won the title since 1974. Belarus were beaten 3-2 by the United States in their only Fed Cup final appearance in Minsk in 2017. Roland-Garros French Open talking points: Will Nadal and Swiatek repeat? How will Federer fare? 26/05/2021 AT 07:43<doc-sep>After super exciting opening Fed Cup World Group semi-final tie between Australia and Belarus that was decided in the fifth doubles rubber, France and Romania also went all the way in Rouen. After more than seven and a half hours of action on clay, France will fight for the first Fed Cup crown since 2003 after a 3-2 triumph that drew the most from every player on the court! Simona Halep and Caroline Garcia delivered the opening two points for their countries on Saturday and it was Halep who took down Garia in a thrilling third rubber, prevailing 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in just under three hours to send Romania a win away from their first Fed Cup final. Simona saved nine out of 13 break points and she grabbed six breaks to cross the finish line first and claim the 20th Fed Cup singles rubber win in 25 matches! The opening set lasted for more than 70 minutes and it certainly didn't look like that in the first 20 minutes, with Garcia opening a 4-0 lead after finding her rhythm right from the start. Halep bounced back in style, losing just six points in the next five games to erase the deficit and move in front, serving for the set at 5-4. Garcia made one last push, breaking back to level the score and create two set points at 6-5. Halep saved them and she was 6-5 up in the tie break, missing her chance and losing three straight points to steal the breaker 8-6. Leaving this setback behind her, Simona earned two breaks in set number two for a 6-3, building the momentum before the decider where she kept her serve safe, waiting for a chance on the return and finding at 4-4 when she secured the crucial break, winning the last three games to move over the top and put Romania 2-1 up. Pauline Parmentier had to defeat Irina-Camelia Begu in the fourth rubber to keep France alive and she forged a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory in two hours and four minutes to level the overall score at 2-2. Carried by the partisan crowd in Rouen, Parmentier saved her best tennis for the final set when she sailed through her service games and grabbed two breaks to wrap up the win and set the deciding doubles clash that would determine the second finalist. Sharing the court for the first time since Dubai 2017, Kristina Mladenovic and Caroline Garcia gave their best to overcome Simona Halep and Monica Niculescu 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and 37 minutes. The French pair earned the decisive break at 4-4 in the third set and served out for the win after a service winner from Garcia to start a massive celebration with Julien Benneteau and the rest of the squad, enjoying the best Fed Cup run in the last 16 years.<doc-sep>Paris (AFP) - Simona Halep's dream of adding a maiden Fed Cup title to her Roland Garros breakthrough triumph was on a knife-edge Saturday as Romania and France ended the opening day of their semi-final locked at 1-1. World number two Halep outclassed Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 6-1 in the northern French city of Rouen where 1,000 Romanian fans drowned out the larger home support. French number one Caroline Garcia, the world number 21, then made a point of cupping her ear to the Romanian fans after easing to a 6-3, 6-3 win over 30th-ranked Mihaela Buzarnescu as the opening day ended all square. "I have won a Grand Slam, been world number one and now this is the next goal," Halep told fedcup.com after her eighth successive win in the tournament which last saw Romania make the final in 1973. "It was hard to control my emotions but here in this arena, there are so many Romanians that I felt we were playing at home. "They were louder than the French and the energy they gave us was amazing." French captain Julien Benneteau took a gamble on Mladenovic, who reached the top 10 in late 2017 but had won only 24 of her last 70 matches to slip to 66 in the world. Mladenovic had won three of her five encounters with Halep but on Saturday struggled in her service games and did not have the tools to stop the Romanian steamroller. Garcia then claimed a third win in three singles rubbers since she returned from a two-year exile after falling out with her Fed Cup teammates. Buzarnescu was unable to ride the wave of Romanian support and remains without a singles win in the Fed Cup in seven years. In the other semi-final in Brisbane, Australia and Belarus also shared the spoils with world number nine Ashleigh Barty sweeping past Victoria Azarenka after Aryna Sabalenka had ground down veteran Samantha Stosur. While Belarus are bidding to reach the final for the second time in three attempts, after being beaten by the United States in 2017, Australia are targeting their first decider in 26 years. Story continues It's been an even longer wait between titles, with the last of Australia's seven victories coming in 1974. "I'm so proud of the level of tennis the girls put on today," said Australia captain Alicia Molik. "It's a great position we're in and we are prepared for a fifth rubber if necessary." An ice cool Barty, who has rocketed through the ranks, breaking into the top 10 with her win at the Miami Open this month, proved too much for tour doubles partner Azarenka at the Pat Rafter Arena, winning 7-6 (7/2), 6-3. It hauled Australia back into the tie after world number 10 Sabalenka toiled for 2hrs 47mins to battle past former US Open champion Stosur 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in the opening rubber.<doc-sep>
Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) - Australia powered into its first Fed Cup final since 1993 on Sunday with Ashleigh Barty and Samantha Stosur clinching the deciding fifth rubber in Brisbane against Belarusian pair Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka. Their battling 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win set up a title match against either France or Romania in November. The tie was sent into the crucial doubles match after Azarenka crushed Stosur 6-1, 6-1 in the reverse singles, following Barty sweeping past Sabalenka 6-2, 6-2. Belarus, a losing finalist in 2017, was scheduled to pit Lidziya Marozava and Vera Lapko against the Australian duo, who were playing together for the first time. But with so much on the line team captain Tatiana Poutchek opted instead for the more accomplished pairing. But they fell short to give seven-time champions Australia a crack at their first title since last winning in 1974. "I could not have picked two more perfect athletes to compete. Ash and Sam are superstars," said elated Australian captain Alicia Molik. Barty called making the final "unbelievable" while Stosur said it was "super exciting". "We knew it was going to be a tough one and we just so happy with how we played," added Stosur. "All the girls have worked so hard throughout the year and we really stick together." Watched on Pat Rafter Arena by Evonne Goolagong, who led Australia to that last Fed Cup win, the home team grabbed an early break against the Sabalenka serve in the opening game. Belarus evened it up in game six and they exchanged breaks again before the Australians attacked the Azarenka serve to break and go 6-5 in front, with Stosur securing the set with an overhead smash. The second set went with serve until a powerful Sabalenka forehand off the Stosur serve gave Belarus the edge and Sabalenka served out the set to take the tie to the wire. A net volley from Stosur gave Australia the crucial advantage off the Azarenka serve in the fourth game of set three and they held their nerve for a famous victory. Story continues - 'Very focused' - Earlier, ice-cool world number nine Barty produced a commanding performance to beat Sabalenka, ranked one place below her. She got a break in game five of the first set, when the Belarusian fired down four double faults, including on break point. Sabalenka's serving wobbles continued with Barty exploiting the weakness to take the set. A tight second set also went with serve until the fifth game, and in a mirror image of the first Barty again broke when Sabalenka double faulted as the pressure mounted and sealed the match with an ace. "A really clean match today. I stuck to my game plan well and was able to execute under pressure," said Barty, who is now on a 13-match Fed Cup winning streak. Former US Open champion Stosur has often struggled on home soil, although success hasn't been completely elusive. On her last appearance Down Under in January she won the women's doubles title at the Australian Open. But the nerves were fluttering in her singles match against two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka, who quickly took charge, racing to 4-1 lead. Stosur fired down seven double faults as Azarenka won the set in just 29 minutes and the second followed a similar pattern. "It was about either we stay and fight for another match or go home," said Azarenka. "So I was very focused."