Russia lift fourth Fed Cup in five years

Madrid: Russia lifted the Fed Cup for the fourth time in five seasons on Sunday after Svetlana Kuznetsova beat Spanish No.1 Anabel Medina Garrigues and their doubles pair completed a whitewash.

The world No. 7's 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory in two hours and 39 minutes gave Russia an unassailable 3-0 lead that was achieved despite the absence of the country's top three players and underlined Russia's dominance of the women's game.

The victory for Kuznetsova, who had not won a tournament all year, was no easy matter, however.

Medina Garrigues fought bravely with the noisy backing of the near full 4,000-seater stadium, before finally running out of steam in the last set.

"Today it was important for me," said the 23-year-old from St Petersburg.

"I felt very nervous, I had so many ups and downs but still, bringing the win for my team, it's amazing".

As on Saturday, Medina Garrigues, ranked 29, in the world was slow out of the blocks, meekly conceding her first two service games in the face of her opponent's powerful groundstrokes.

Kuznetsova seemed to be cruising but in the fifth game, the 26-year-old Spaniard somehow produced a fizzing crosscourt backhand off a Kuznetsova smash to set up a break and then hold her own serve in the following game.

The first set swung decisively the way of the Spanish Olympic doubles silver medallist in the ninth when Kuznetsova squandered four set points with a series of wayward forehands.

A fired-up Medina Garrigues set up her second break back of the set with a running drive backhand down the line before a deflated Kuznetsova patted the next ball into the net.

In a match played with great sportsmanship, Kuznetsova over-ruled a line judge to give her opponent a point with the set poised delicately at 5-5.

Medina Garrigues went on to break the former US Open champion before holding her own serve to take the first set.

Back home

Kuznetsova raised her game in the second set and in the eighth game seized on Medina Garrigues's short second serve to break for a 5-3 before slamming down two aces in the next to wrap up the set.

Medina Garrigues cancelled out an early break from Kuznetsova in the third set but failed to keep the pressure going and the Russian's greater poise on the big points proved decisive.

Kuznetsova said after the match she was leaving the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona, where she has trained for over a decade, to return to Russia.

"I miss my country and I think I need to do a few things differently to change my game. I love Spain but I think it's time to change, this is what my soul is asking me to do," she said.

In the final rubber, Russian pair Elena Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova beat Carla Suarez and Nuria Llagostera 6-2, 6-1 in just over an hour.

On Saturday Kuznetsova beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-1 and Vera Zvonareva beat Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-4.