Mara Santagelo defeat Kirsten Flipkens

CHARLEROI, Belgium, Sep 17: Italian substitute Mara Santangelo came from behind to defeat Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens 6-7 6-3 6-0 and pull her country level in the Fed Cup final today.

Santangelo's victory, after Justine Henin-Hardenne's win for Belgium earlier today, means the doubles will decide the title between the 2001 champions and Italy, who are playing in their first final.

World number two Henin-Hardenne beat Francesca Schiavone 6-4 7-5 in Sunday's opening match which left Belgium just one win away from a second title.

Italy captain, Corrado Barazzutti gambled by giving Santangelo her first Fed Cup singles start and resting Pennetta for the doubles, citing the fact that Pennetta had only just returned to action after missing the US Open with a wrist injury.

The gamble on the 33rd-ranked player nearly backfired as the 98th-ranked Flipkens got off to a perfect start by taking the first set.

The 20 year-old Belgian's game fell apart in the second set and Santangelo pounced on her every mistake.

Flipkens found herself serving to stay in the first set after her opponent broke serve in the ninth game. She held her nerve before breaking back and eventually battling to win the ensuing tiebreak.

The Belgian had her serve broken twice in succession in the second set before putting up some resistance but Santangelo held out to take the set. Flipkens never recovered and was whitewashed in the third set.

KNEE INJURY

French Open champion Henin-Hardenne, buoyed up by the home crowd which included an injured Kim Clijsters, squeezed past the tough Schiavone in a match littered with double faults and unforced errors.

Henin-Hardenne, who reached all four Grand Slam finals this year, revealed afterwards that she was suffering from a knee injury.

''I pulled up after the second point, my knee was in a lot of trouble,'' she said.

''I moved to the net a little more in the second set as I knew I couldn't go to a third set.'' Belgium have been relying on Henin-Hardenne after world number four Clijsters, who played in both of her country's victories en route to this year's final, was forced out of action for two months with a recurrence of a wrist injury.

With the tie level at 1-1 after yesterday's singles, Henin-Hardenne started slowly against Schiavone and dropped her opening service game. She hit back immediately to break the Italian's serve twice.

Schiavone broke service in the ninth game but served badly in the next game to allow her 24-year-old opponent to take the first set.

The second set swung like a pendulum with Schiavone breaking serve in the third game but again the Belgian fought her way back to break back in the seventh game before eventually closing out the match.

Yesterday Henin-Hardenne beat Pennetta 6-4 7-5, while Schiavone powered past Flipkens 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour.

Reuters