Fed Cup

By Erin Bruehl, USTA.com

STUTTGART, Germany - Both Christina McHale and Melanie Oudin fought to the last point and played high levels of tennis. However, the U.S. team finds itself down 0-2 after the first day of the U.S. vs. Germany Fed Cup Playoff and in need of three victories Sunday.

 

In the opening match, Andrea Petkovic defeated McHale, 6-3, 6-4, to give Germany the 1-0 advantage on the red clay at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart. In the second match, Julia Goerges fought off Melanie Oudin’s push for a third set to win, 6-2, 7-6 (5).

 

In the opening match, McHale, the world No. 82 and playing in just her second career Fed Cup match, kept up a high level of play to stay with Petkovic, the world No. 19, in the opening set.

 

At 3-all and on Petkovic’s serve, McHale fought back from down 40-15 to bring the game to deuce and took the advantage but was unable to convert the break, as she hit a return long for another deuce.

 

Petkovic was able to save two more break points, and the game went to deuce three more times before the German took her first advantage and then finally won it, when a McHale drop shot landed out for a 4-3 lead.

 

It proved to be a crucial turning point for Petkovic, who played the decisive points and moments in the match very well and remained calm throughout the pivotal game. She was able to capitalize on the momentum to win the next seven games, winning the first set 6-3 and taking a commanding 4-0 lead in the second.

 

"I really felt like I broke her there a little bit, although I was serving because she was playing great tennis until then," Petkovic said of the game at 3-all. "I think she was really playing up to her potential, and I know she is a tough player. I have seen her play in the States, so I was prepared. In this game, I was tough, I was calm, I just kept fighting, and I played well in the decisive moments."

 

However, the young American was not going down without a fight. McHale rallied to win three straight games of her own to pull to 4-3 and, after a Petkovic hold, held herself for a 5-4 deficit.

 

But Petkovic was able to hold off McHale’s charge and served out the 52-minute second set with a volley winner on her first match-point opportunity.

 

"I think for the most part it was a pretty close match; she played the big points really well," McHale said. "I definitely think it changed the momentum a little bit after that long game we had. I had a few break points at 3-all in the first set, but she played those points well. I had my chances, but she came up with a good point on them. There was a stretch there, I was still in the games, but I could not seem to win them. I was happy that I was able to fight back in the second set and compete better at the end."

 

For the match, Petkovic’s serve was very effective, as she converted 81 percent of her first serves, winning 66 percent of them, and was especially effective when she was able to dictate with her powerful forehand.

 

For Oudin and Goerges, it was their second meeting in just a few weeks, as they met in the first round of the Sony Ericsson Open on hardcourts in Miami, which was a straight-sets win for the American.

 

But on red clay in Germany, this time it turned in favor of the German, who used an outstanding serve to power past Oudin. Goerges won 78 percent of her first serves, hit seven aces and mixed up her serves, making it difficult for Oudin to read them.

 

Oudin was up 2-1 early in the first set, but Goerges won the next five games to take the opening set in 29 minutes.

 

However, as is her trademark, Oudin fought back in the second set to take a 4-2 lead. But Goerges immediately responded with a break when the American double faulted to bring the score to 4-3 and then held in the next game to bring the set to 4-all.

 

The set progressed on serve, including a long game in which Oudin saved four break points at 5-all to hold and take a 6-5 lead, before Goerges held to force the tiebreak.

 

The tiebreak remained close and seemed early to be in Goerges’ favor, as the German took leads at 3-1 and 4-3. But after Goerges hit two straight balls past the baseline, Oudin took her first lead at 5-4. However, Goerges was able to regroup and hit a cross-court winner for 5-all, and an Oudin return landed wide to give her a match-point chance at 6-5. She was then able to close it out on the next point – on Oudin’s serve – when a shot from the American landed past the baseline.

 

"When someone serves like that, there is not much you can do, and it puts a lot of pressure on your serve because you know they are serving that well consistently," Oudin said. "I knew she would be confident going into the tiebreaker because she had served that well the entire match, hitting every corner, and I couldn’t read it. I had never seen her serve that well. It is too good."

 

The playoff continues Sunday, with Petkovic and Oudin playing the opening match. Oudin watched her match against McHale and hopes she can keep the U.S.’s hopes alive.

 

"Both players played really solid throughout both matches," Oudin said of Petkovic and Goerges. "Christina and I were both able to come back in the second set, but they closed it out in the end. We are going to have to fight really hard tomorrow. I have a pretty good game plan going into tomorrow, so hopefully we will be able to come back."

 

McHale and Goerges then play the second match, followed by the doubles match between Liezel Huber and Vania King of the U.S. and Sabine Lisicki and Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany.

 

U.S. Fed Cup Captain Mary Joe Fernandez will tell her players to focus on their games and fight as hard as they did today, knowing a comeback is possible.

 

"I am very proud of both Melanie and Christina; they competed extremely well," Fernandez said. "They did as much as possible from their side of things. Both Petkovic and Goerges on the big moments just played better.

 

"The message for tomorrow is try to be better than they were today, keep trying to work on doing the right things on the court and controlling what you can," she added. "It is a new beginning. Russia was able to do it against France (in February), so coming back from down 0-2 has been done before."

 

The winner of the tie keeps its place in the World Group for 2012, while the loser is relegated to World Group II next year.