BULGARIA'S women's tennis team beat the Netherlands 2:0 in Antalia, Turkey, on Saturday April 23 in the decisive match-up for the Federations Cup World Group series, the unofficial World Cup team competition.
This year the Bulgarian team was boosted by the participation of the country's two best players - Magdalena Maleeva and Sesil Karatancheva. They led their teammates to flawless victories over South Africa by 3:0, Hungary 2:1, and Estonia 3:0 in qualification group A.
The winner of the decisive match-up against the Netherlands was to progress into the into the "Fed Cup" World Group series. In the first singles game, Karatancheva crushed Elise Tamaela 6-1, 6-1. Maleeva had to battle much harder to come away with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mihaela Krajicek.
Fifteen-year-old Karatancheva never let Tamaela find her own rhythm during their match. The Bulgarian took a 2-0 advantage in the first set, then let her opponent take the third game, but was more than convincing in the next four. The Dutch tennis player displayed some good defence at times, but on most occasions was unable to stop Karatancheva's aggressive shots from the base line. Tamaela could not suppress her frustration and disappointment and burst into tears at the end of the set.
It was to no avail though, because the second set developed in similar fashion. The Bulgarian won five games in a row at 1:1 and clinched her seventh straight victory from as many career matches in the Federations Cup competition.
In the second singles game, Maleeva, captain of the national team and top seeded Bulgarian tennis player, faced 18-year old Mihaela Krajicek. The sister of former tennis star Richard Krajicek is leading the rankings for youth players and has achieved victory in the youth US Open.
Maleeva won the opening two games of the first set, but Krajicek struck back and returned the break of serve. The Bulgarian was leading 4-3 and could not convert two break point opportunities. This turned out to be the turning point of the set, as Krajicek easily won the next three games and for a short while it seemed that the Netherlands were back in the tie.
Maleeva, however, had not yet said her final word. Cheered by a large group of Bulgarian supporters, she started playing with more imagination, power and accuracy, and managed to turn the match around in her favour. She broke her opponent's service game in the middle of the second set, then kept her nerves cool in the next five games, and drew level the sets at 1:1 with a 6-3 win.
In the decisive third part, Maleeva showed that she is by far the more experienced player, taking full advantage of the increasing number of unforced errors that Krajicek made. The Dutch won the opening game, but then had no chance in six of the following seven. Maleeva closed the third set at 6-2 and put an end to the ambitions of the Dutch team to progress on to the next stage of the competition.
This is the second year in a row that Bulgaria has reached the "Fed Cup" World Group series. Last year the team lost 2-3 at home to Japan, but both Maleeva and Karatancheva were missing from the squad.
The draw for the next round of the competition will be held in London on May 3. There are seven possible opponents Bulgaria may face: Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Slovakia, Slovenia, China, and Puerto Rico. The match-ups will take place on June 9 and 10. The winner is determined in a best of five series, there will be four singles and one doubles games.
"This team is comprised of young and talented players that have a lot of potential and a bright future ahead of them. I am glad we managed to come up with a Bulgarian team that includes the best tennis players in the country," said captain Maleeva.