BBC SPORT | Tennis | Slovakia win Fed Cup

Fed Cup results

Slovakia won the Fed Cup for the first time when Janette Husarova secured an unassailable 3-1 lead over Spain on Sunday.

Husarova was an easy 6-0 6-2 winner against three-time French Open champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the second match of the day.

In the end I think I was physically better than her (Martinez)

Daniela Hantuchova

The Spanish veteran had missed Saturday's matches in the Canary Islands with a thigh strain.

And as Husarova surged into a clear lead a heckler in the crowd brought Sanchez-Vicario to tears.

Play was delayed for 10 minutes as the crowd turned on the man and the people sitting alongside got up and left, leaving him sitting their defiantly and refusing to leave.

"I am only human," said Sanchez-Vicario. "The ovation made up for what that man said."

Day one: Hantuchova squares Fed Cup

Earlier, Husarova's team-mate Daniela Hantuchova beat Conchita Martinez 6-7 7-5 6-4 to give Slovakia a 2-1 lead over the five-time Fed Cup winners.

Hantuchova, ranked eighth in the world, came from behind to overhaul the 30-year-old Spaniard in three hours, 20 minutes.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
Sanchez Vicario was brought to tears
Hantuchova's game was based on a powerful forehand and superior agility, while Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion, preferred disguise and deception.

In the first set Martinez's method worked well but she squandered two chances to take the set outright and avoid the tiebreaker.

Hantuchova saved set points at 4-5 on her own serve and two more at 5-6.

In the second set, it was Martinez's turn to save three set points as she served at 4-5, but Hantuchova kept up the pressure to edge the set.

Martinez quickly fell behind 1-4 in the third but staged a brief rally, breaking Hantuchova to reach 4-5, before bowing to the inevitable.

"It was very hard to put her under pressure," said Hantuchova.

"But in the end I think I was physically better than her."

Fed Cup final: Slovakia 3-1 Spain

Sunday's results:

Janette Husarova (Svk) bt Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Spa) 6-0 6-2

Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Conchita Martinez (Spa) 6-7 7-5 6-4

Saturday's results:

Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Magui Serna (Spa) 6-2 6-1

Conchita Martinez (Spa) bt Janette Husarova (Svk) 4-6 6-7 (6-8)


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