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Team GB edges past Belarus
ESPN staff
February 5, 2010
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Anne Keothavong admits it is "a pleasure to be out there" after injury
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Team GB staged a massive comeback in the deciding doubles match to clinch a 2-1 win over Belarus in their final Fed Cup Europe/Africa Zone Group D tie on Friday.
Anne Keothavong got the Brits off to a great start with a 7-6 6-1 singles win over Ekaterina Dzehalevich, before Katie O'Brien fell in straight sets 6-3 6-3 to Olga Govortsova to leave top player Elena Baltacha and doubles specialist Sarah Borwell with the responsibility of finishing the tie off.
The partnership fell a set and 3-0 down to Govortsova and Tatiana Poutchek before winning four straight games to fight their way back into the rubber, eventually securing the second set and going on with the job to claim the match 3-6 7-5 6-2.
While Thursday's loss to Austria cost Team GB the chance to play off for promotion to the World Group II, they still have a match on Saturday against the Netherlands which will determine their seeding rank for next year's Fed Cup event.
Keothavong was delighted to have made a successful contribution after her long-awaited comeback from a serious knee injury got off to a losing start against Austria's Patricia Mayr on Thursday.
"I'm glad I got through that and it's nice to get my first win after so long out of the game," she said. "It is just such a pleasure to be out there on the court - it really is.
"After I got through the first set I loosened it up and started hitting a bit more freely and gained a bit of confidence. Those are the kind of matches I need - these next few months are going to be tough for me, but this is a start!"
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