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Swiss miss out on Fed Cup win

Patty Schnyder made light work of her reverse singles against Daniela Hantuchova Keystone

Patty Schnyder and Myriam Casanova have just failed in their attempt to take Switzerland through to the quarter-finals of the Fed Cup - losing 2-3 to Slovakia.

The tie was decided in the doubles match, after both players managed a remarkable comeback in the singles.

After a poor start on Saturday, when both players lost their matches, it was Schnyder (WTA 17), who took to the court first on Sunday in the reverse singles.

She was coming off the back of some impressive performances after her appearance in the final at Charleston last week, and the 24-year-old from Basel made easy work of the Slovak number one, Daniela Hantuchova (WTA 14), winning in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.

The 16-year-old Casanova (WTA 209) was next on court. She too had a great run of form at the WTA tournament in Budapest last week, and was up against the much more experienced 24-year-old Henrieta Nagyova (WTA 44). And that experience told in the first set, as the young Swiss succumbed 3-6.

But she fought back bravely to take the next two sets comfortably, running out the winner 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, and taking the tie into a decisive doubles rubber.

But the Swiss failed to recapture the sparkle of the two singles matches. Schnyder and Casanova lost the first set 0-6 to the Slovak pairing of Hantuchova and Jeanette Husarova (WTA 38). They fought back in the second – taking it in a tiebreak, but lost the third and the match 0-6, 6-7, 3-6.

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