Spain sinks Aussie Fed Cup hopes
Conchita Martinez crushed Nicole Pratt 6-0 6-2 and Magui Serna defeated Alicia Molik 6-4 6-1 as Spain beat Australia in their Fed Cup World Group first-round tennis tie.
The wins gave the Spaniards an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie and advances them to the quarterfinals. They will play the winner of the tie between France and Colombia.
Australia won the consolation doubles match to make the final result 3-2 when Alicia Molik and Rennae Stubbs teamed up to beat Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual 4-6 6-2 6-3.
A day after shoulder pain caused her to miss a match against Alicia Molik, Martinez showed no signs of distress as she displayed a strong baseline game and rare but accurate drop shots.
Serna, who beat Molik in three sets last Sunday at the Budapest GP, had an easier-than-expected time in this match.
Spain has won the Fed Cup title five times. It lost on home turf to Slovakia in last year's finals.
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