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Kerber's win puts Germany in Fed Cup semifinals

Angelique Kerber, shown in last year's French Open, had a straight-set win Sunday that clinched a Fed Cup series for Germany of Slovakia. UPI/David Silpa
Angelique Kerber, shown in last year's French Open, had a straight-set win Sunday that clinched a Fed Cup series for Germany of Slovakia. UPI/David Silpa | License Photo

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Angelique Kerber claimed a close victory Sunday that allowed Germany to gain a spot in the Fed Cup semifinals with a series win over Slovakia.

Kerber, who had put Germany on the verge of the series win with a straight-set victory Saturday, defeated Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) Sunday for the third point in the best-of-five series.

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Sunday's second singles match wasn't played and Slovaks Jana Cepelova and Magdalena Rybarikova teamed for a 4-6, 6-3, 10-7 win in doubles over Julia Goerges and Anna-Lena Groenefeld, making the final score 3-1 Germany.

Kerber won nearly three-quarters of the points on serve against Cibulkova and was able to finish off three of her nine break chances. All of those, however, came in the first set and Cibulkova was able to force the second-set tiebreaker.

Kerber went up 5-3 in the tiebreaker only to have Cibulkova pull back even before Kerber was able to finish off the win.

Germany will be looking to win in April to gain a spot in the Fed Cup finals for the first time since 1992, when the Germans defeated Spain and won their second overall Fed Cup championship.

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