Callens Seals Victory for Belgium
Callens Seals Victory for Belgium
Veteran Belgian Els Callens stepped in to give Belgium a place in the Fed Cup
World Group quarterfinals.
Callens' gutsy 62 36 64 victory over Jelena Kostanic in the tie's fourth
rubber gave Belgium an unassailable 3-1 lead over Croatia.
"It's always fantastic to play in Fed Cup and it always seems to bring out
the best in me," said Callens. "I think it's the first time I have won the
decisive match. I'm really happy with the way I played today."
The home win for Callens was greeted with an eruption of noise from the
4000-seater Expodroom in Bree, the crowd leaping to their feet in time to see
Callens engulfed by teammates Kim Clijsters, Elke Clijsters, Kirsten Flipkens
and team captain Ivo Van Aken.
"We have a nice group of players and that's so important," said Callens.
"The public play a big part too. When you have nearly 5000 people screaming
for you it's an amazing feeling."
With the scores level at 1-1 overnight, Clijsters got Belgium on the road to
victory on the indoor clay court by beating Croatia's No.1 Karolina Sprem
61 63 to put Belgium 2-1 after the first rubber.
Van Aken made a late decision to play 33-year-old Callens instead of her less
experienced teammate Flipkens and must have been relieved to watch as his
decision was vindicated by Callens' performance in the first set.
Rather than wilting in the face of some inspired shot-making from Callens and
noisy support from the home crowd, Kostanic dug in for a fight, racing to a
3-0 lead in the second set to make a decider inevitable.
When the third set came it was Callens who once more moved into the ascendancy.
She missed chances to break at 1-1 but fashioned another opportunity at 2-2
and, this time, did not hesitate.
Kostanic put up some doughty defence and came close to breaking back at 2-3
and again when Callens was beset by nerves as she served for the match at 5-4
but the Belgian held firm. Callens, amid the clamour of stamping feet and
chanting from the stands and her team's bench, conjured up a match point after
an hour and 53 minutes and took it with an ace.
"It was a very tactical match. I played a perfect first set with no mistakes,
then Jelena tried to slow down my game in the second set, and I tried to come
to the net more in the third. It was a very tight but I came through in the
end."
Callens raised her arms high in triumph and soaked up the applause thundering
around her before the Belgian team leapt on her in celebration.
There was some consolation for the Croatians in the final doubles match, now
dead, in which Darija Jurak and Iva Majoli defeated Elke Clijsters and Flipkens
64 61 for a final score of 3-2 to Belgium.
Belgium now plays Spain in the Fed Cup quarterfinals and, win or lose that tie,
is certain of playing in the Fed Cup World Group in 2005.
Croatia must now enter a play-off in July to make sure of their World Group
status next year.
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