Holders Slovakia struggle as US serves notice

Slovakia were battling both Germany and the elements to keep their Fed Cup title defence on track as the United States served notice they don’t plan a repeat of last year’s early exit.

Serena and Venus Williams, ranked number one and number three in the world, cruised past their Czech Opponents in yesterday’s opening singles at Lowell, Massachusetts, putting the Americans one match away from the quarter-finals.

Venus Williams needed just 48 minutes to crush Daja Bedanova 6-1, 6-0, before Serena rolled to a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Iveta Benesova.

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“Even though the score line looked easy, she played really well,” Venus Williams said. “I had to hit winners, I had to push her out of the way.”

She played amazing tennis,” Bedanova admitted. “I played some good tennis. It’s really hard to compete against those players.”