Prague: Lucie Safarova gave defending champion Czech Republic a flying start in the Fed Cup final against Serbia by beating Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday for a 1-0 lead.
Safarova converted her first match point with a forehand winner to seal the victory on an indoor hard court at the O2 Arena.
"After I lost both matches in the final last year, I desperately wanted to win," said Safarova, who improved to 4-2 against Ivanovic. "We were both nervous at the start but I got rid of it. I was improving throughout the match. It was very important to win."
The 12th-ranked Ivanovic, a former No. 1, looked frustrated and was unable to find her rhythm throughout the match, hitting eight double-faults and making 32 unforced errors.
"I'm very very disappointed that I didn't manage to get the first point for our team," Ivanovic said. "I had plenty of opportunities but I just wasn't executing when it was important. It was very frustrating."
Serbia has been enjoying its best Fed Cup season as an independent country, winning away at Belgium and Russia to reach its first final. Eighth-ranked Petra Kvitova, who led the Czechs to a 3-2 victory over Russia in the final last year, will play former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic in the second singles match. Both players have been unbeaten in the Fed Cup for two years.
The Czechs beat Russia 3-2 in last year's final in Moscow for their first title since Czechoslovakia's split in 1993. The Czechs won five more times as Czechoslovakia between 1975 and 1988.
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