BRNO, Czech Republic(AP) The United States reached the Fed Cup final for the first time since 2003, beating the Czech Republic 3-2 on Sunday with Liezel Huber and Bethanie Mattek-Sands winning the decisive doubles match.
Huber and Mattek-Sands beat Iveta Benesova and Kveta Peschke 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 on the indoor hard court in Rondo Arena.
The Americans will play in the Nov. 7-8 final against Italy, which beat defending champion Russia.
Earlier, American teenager Alexa Glatch kept the United States in the best-of-five series by beating Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-1. In the first reverse singles match of the day, Lucie Safarova defeated Mattek-Sands 6-3, 6-1.
The Czech team broke Mattek-Sands' serve twice in the first set of the doubles, and then broke Huber twice in the second to lead 3-1. The Americans, however, saved a match point at 5-2 and fought back to level the set at 5-5 before forcing the tiebreaker.
In the final set, Benesova was broken in the second game and sixth game before Huber served out the match, converting the second match point.
The 32-year-old Huber, who previously competed for South Africa, was playing for the United States for the third time. She won her doubles matches against Russia and Argentina.
Glatch, at 19 playing in the Fed Cup for the first time, won her second singles match of the weekend by beating Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-1.
Glatch broke Kvitova twice in the opening set to lead 5-1 and converted her first set point when the Czech double-faulted in the eighth game. Glatch, ranked 114th, continued to dominate in the second set, breaking her 48th-ranked opponent in the second and fourth games before serving out the match.
This has been unbelievable,'' Glatch said.I played well overall. I really don't know how I'm doing it.''
Glatch said her two Fed Cup wins were ``definitely the most important'' in her career.
This is one of the few times in my life I'm playing on a team,'' she said.It beats anything I've done in tennis before.''
Kvitova, who wept during a post-match news conference, praised Glatch.
She was excellent,'' Kvitova said.I was trying to fight but she didn't allow me to do anything.''
If the Czech Republic wins the doubles match, it would be the country's first Fed Cup final since it came into existence after the break up of Czechoslovakia in 1993. Czechoslovakia won five Fed Cup titles, the last in 1988.
It would be fantastic to reach the final,'' Safarova said.We need three points and I believe that we'll make it.''
Safarova broke Mattek-Sands in the opening game of the first set and again in the ninth when she converted her second set point on the indoor hard court in Rondo Arena.
In the second set, Mattek-Sands, also making her Fed Cup debut, was broken in the second game, allowing Safarova to jump to a 3-0 lead. Safarova broke her again for a 5-1 lead and served out the match to love to improve to 4-4 in Fed Cup singles.
She made some good shots, the winners, and I made too many mistakes,'' the 39th-ranked Mattek-Sands said.I'm very honored to play for the USA. It was a great experience.''
The 22-year-old Safarova, ranked 47th, replaced Benesova, who was clearly outplayed by Glatch in the opening singles on Saturday.
In Saturday's opening singles, Kvitova put the host team ahead by beating Mattek-Sands 6-3, 7-6 (2). Glatch leveled by defeating Benesova 6-1, 6-2.