Ivanovic gives Serbia hope in Fed Cup final

Ana Ivanovic kept Serbia's hopes alive in the Fed Cup final as she beat Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 here yesterday. Ivanovic, the world number 12, needed an hour and 46 minutes to see off world number eight Kvitova and reduce the holders' lead to 2-1. Kvitova, sweating profusely and visibly weakened by a cold that forced her to pull out of the WTA Championship last week, lost her first rubber after an 11-game Fed Cup winning streak. "I'm very thrilled to keep our dreams alive,- Ivanovic told reporters. "I really started swinging from the beginning and it worked well for me so I'm very pleased,- added the Serbian number one, who lost easily to the Czechs' number two Lucie Safarova on Saturday. "I was a lot calmer today and I was sort of playing the game that I've been playing lately-. Kvitova managed to fight back at the end of the second set, when she broke Ivanovic's serve for the first time and seemed on the verge of overwhelming her rival. But Ivanovic broke back as she converted the third match point in the last game. "It was very close, she started swinging again and getting winners down the lines, but I'm really happy I managed to stay calm,- said Ivanovic. Kvitova said the loss did not mean much as "we still have two matches to play.- "I don't want to blame the illness -” I felt better and I found it easier to breathe than on Saturday,- she said. "But I lost a lot of strength yesterday and I was also drained emotionally. "I lacked energy, the doctor gave me some sugar during a bathroom break but it didn't help much,- said Kvitova, adding she did not sleep well. On Saturday, Kvitova and Safarova eased past their rivals in straight sets to give the Czechs a 2-0 lead. Safarova, the world number 17, first beat Ivanovic 6-4, 6-3 on the hardcourt of Prague's O2 Arena. Kvitova then cruised past 22-ranked Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 6-1 to make it 2-0 for the hosts after day one. The Czech Republic's Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka are then due to face Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski and Aleksandra Krunic in the closing doubles rubber, but the Serbian team is likely to change. The Czech Republic are defending the trophy after they beat Russia in Moscow 3-2 in 2011. Former Czechoslovakia, which split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, lifted the Fed Cup five times between 1975 and 1988. Serbia are playing their first Fed Cup final.