MASPALOMAS (Canary Islands), Nov 1: Spain and Slovakia advanced to the Fed Cup finals Thursday, although by vastly different routes.

Conchita Martinez and Virginia Ruano beat Austria’s Barbara Schett and Patricia Wartusch 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a decisive doubles match gives Spain a crack at its 6th Fed Cup title.

Meanwhile Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova, the tournament’s top-ranked player at WTA No. 8, defeated Italy’s top player, Silvia Farina Elia, 7-5, 6-3 Thursday.

Shortly thereafter Janette Husarova downed Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-4 to clinch a finals berth for Slovakia in a match that ended at 11:30 pm. Given the hour, the two teams agreed to scrap their meaningless doubles match. The ties were best-of-five.

Spain boasted a 2-0 lead when the day started but Martinez lost to Schett 7-5, 6-7 (3) 6-2 and Wartusch downed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario 4-6, 6-4, 9-7. Both matches were grueling.

Still, Martinez suited up again in the afternoon to replace Magui Serna in Spain’s doubles lineup and teamed up with Ruano to face those same two towering Austrians.

Spain was up 4-1 in the first set, then dropped five straight games to lose it. Ruano made many unforced errors at the net. But the Spaniards broke their opponents’ serve once to take the second set, and in third the Austrians fell apart, committing myriad unforced errors of their own. Spain broke their serve twice more.

Martinez said later it was an honor for her to take Spain into the Fed Cup finals for the 10th time.

Hantuchova’s win gave her relief after her upset by Schiavone 7-6 (1), 6-1 on Wednesday. Farina Elia seemed overpowered by the lanky young Slovak’s lighting-fast forehand.

Husarova ran up a 5-1 lead in the first set against Schiavone but took four more games to win it. In the second set neither player could serve but the Slovak prevailed.

Spain came into it feeling confident after Martinez and Sanchez-Vicario posted straight-sets wins Wednesday. But Schett and Wartusch, both big hitters, clawed their way back into contention.

Schett kept Martinez running all morning with a menu of carefully placed shots down the line and at least a dozen drop shots, some from the baseline. Schett got lucky when she needed it several hit the net messily but fell her way.

The second set was a seesaw battle in which neither player could hold serve. At one point Martinez screamed out in frustration, although she held on to win the tie-break handily.

But she seemed tired and out of sorts in the third set, banging her racket on the ground several times and mishitting the ball. Schett broke her serve twice. In the final game, with Schett serving at 5-2, Martinez survived three match points but Schett eventually fired an ace past her to win it.

Sanchez-Vicario took the first set against Wartusch but fell behind early in both the second and third as the big, strong Austrian pounded away with her impressive forehand.

The third set was an exciting duel in which both women seemed to catch their second wind and were egged on by boisterous, flag waving supporters from their countries.

Sanchez-Vicario, serving at 5-6, saved two match points and tied the set with a nice passing shot that caught the Austrian flat-footed. But Sanchez-Vicario just couldn’t seem to pull ahead. Wartusch broke the Spaniard to win the set 9-7.—AP