MOSCOW, July 9: Anastasia Myskina stunned Wimbledon champion Venus Williams on Saturday as Russia blasted into a 2-0 lead in their Fed Cup semifinal against the United States in the Olympic Stadium.

Myskina recovered from a sticky start on the indoor clay court to secure a 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory and inflict only a second career Fed Cup defeat on Venus.

Elena Dementieva then clawed back a 1-5 deficit in the first set against debutant Mashona Washington to win 7-5 6-4.

Russia’s world number five won six games in a row to claim the first set and then raced ahead into a 5-2 lead in the second before Washington staged a late rally.

She finally secured victory on her first match point when the 52nd-ranked American hit a backhand wide after one hour and 32 minutes.

Washington was only playing in place of world number one Lindsay Davenport after she pulled out with a back injury sustained during last week’s Wimbledon defeat by Venus.

Myskina, who reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, lost the opening set of the day when Venus got lucky with a net cord that dribbled over on set point in the 12th game.

Cheered on by the home crowd, and an enthusiastic former Russia president Boris Yeltsin, she saved three break points in the second game of the second set before a key break in the seventh game proved enough to level up the match.

The 2004 French Open champion dominated the decider as she moved Venus all over the court with her some fierce baseline hitting. She broke the 25-year-old American’s serve twice more to clinch victory after one hour and 50 minutes.

Results

At Moscow

Russia 2 United States 0

Elena Dementieva (RUS) bt Mashona Washington (USA) 7-5, 6-4; Anastasia Myskina (RUS) bt Venus Williams (USA) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

At Aix-en-Provence, France

France 2 Spain 0

Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) bt Anabel Medina (ESP) 6-4, 6-3; Mary Pierce (FRA) bt Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) 6-4, 6-4

World Group 1

Play-offs

At Lausanne

Switzerland 0 Austria 2

Yvonne Meusburgers (AUT) bt Stefanie Vogele (SUI) 7-6 (7/4), 6-1; Tamira Paszek (AUT) bt Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 6-3, 6-3

At Bol, Croatia

Croatia 1 Germany 1

Karolina Sprem (CRO) bt Julija Schruff (GER) 6-3, 6-4; Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) bt Jelena Kostanic (CRO) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)

At Bree, Belgium

Belgium 1 Argentina 1

Kim Clijsters (BEL) bt Mariana Diaz-Oliva (ARG) 6-1, 6-2; Gisela Dulko (ARG) bt Els Callens (BEL) 6-1, 6-3

At Liberec, Czech Republic

Czech Republic 1 Italy 1

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) bt Kveta Peschke (CZE) 6-4, 7-5; Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA) 6-3, 6-4

At Tokyo

Japan 1 Bulgaria 1

Akiko Morigami (JPN) bt Sesil Karatantcheva (BUL) 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0; Magdalena Maleeva (BUL) bt Aiko Nakamura (JPN) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

At Bangkok

Thailand 1 Slovakia 1

Suchanun Viratprasert (THA) bt Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 6-4, 6-4; Lubomira Kurhajcova (SVK) bt Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-0

At Beijing

China 1 Slovenia 1

Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) bt Zheng Jie (CHN) 7-6 (7/5), 3-6, 6-3;

Li Na (CHN) bt Andreja Klepac (SLO) 6-1, 6-3.—AFP