Germany crash out in Fed Cup semifinal after Kerber defeat

Angelique Kerber lost 2-6, 2-6 to Petra Kvitova in Stuttgart on Sunday to seal Germany's Fed Cup semifinal exit at the hands of the Czech Republic.

Earlier, Julia Görges had given Germany hope with an impressive 6-4, 6-2 win over Karolina Pliskova, but defeats for both Görges and Kerber on Saturday had already left Germany 2-0 down.

No German women's team has ever recovered from such a deficit, and so it remained, as the country's wait for a first final appearance since 2014 continues.

"I knew I had to start very strong today and continue that throughout the game," said Kvitova, 28, after recording her 30th Fed Cup victory. "From the beginning of the match I knew I had all the weapons."

German number one Görges showed that she also had the weapons to launch a comeback, defeating Pliskova in just under an hour. "I think I surprised her a bit with how I played," said Görges, adding that the passionate home crowd inspired her to victory. "It's only possible when you really use the supporters to go beyond your limits and allow yourself to be carried on a cloud."

But former world number one Kerber couldn't replicate her compatriot's performance on Sunday.

Görges and Anna-Lena Grönefeld face Barbora Strycova and Katerina Siniakova in the final doubles match, which has now been rendered meaningless.

The Czechs are undefeated in their previous five final appearances, including victory over Germany in 2014, and will face either France or the USA in the final in November.

mf/ft (Reuters/DPA)