Fed Cup: Australia, Netherlands level 1-1 after opening day
WOLLONGONG, Australia (AP) - Ashleigh Barty has leveled Australia's Fed Cup World Group playoff against the Netherlands with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Quirine Lemoine on indoor hard courts.
In the opening singles match Saturday, Lesley Kerkhove upset Samantha Stosur 7-5, 7-6 (1). Stosur had her chance to get back into the match, holding two break points in the eighth game of the second set, but she allowed Kerkhove to win the next four points and then was outclassed in the tiebreaker.
Australian captain Alicia Molik will consider replacing Stosur with the higher-ranked Daria Gavrilova for Sunday's reverse singles ahead of a possible deciding doubles match.
Gavrilova lost both her singles matches against Ukraine in February when Ukraine won the tie 3-2 in Canberra and was not considered for Saturday's opening singles against the Netherlands.
