Vives extends lead for Spain in Fed Cup clash with China

BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish veteran Nuria Llagostera Vives defeated local player Zheng Jie 6-3, 6-4 to bring Spain a 2-0 lead in the Fed Cup semifinal here on Saturday.

With Zheng mainly majoring in doubles and only ranking 206th inthe world, 76th-ranked Vives have a grip on the match, breaking the 25-year-old Chinese three times to finish the first set 6-3.

The 28-year-old Spaniard seemed to enjoy a comfortable control of the second set after she taking a 4-1 lead, but the dogged Zheng fought back by wining three consecutive games to pull herself back in the run. Vives managed to hold her service in the ninth game and broke Zheng with a love game to claim the match after the Chinese ran out of steam.

The semifinal will continue tomorrow with two singles and a doubles. Only one win will be good enough for the guest team to reach the final.