The player put France back in the lead, one point behind the win (2-1), defeating World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in three sets 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/1 ) in the final of the Fed Cup against Australia
France are now only one point behind their third Fed Cup trophy, after those of 1997 and 2003. Kristina Mladenovic put France back in the lead, one point behind the win (2-1), coming to No. 1 World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in three sets 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) in the Fed Cup final against Australia on Sunday, November 10 in Perth, Australia.
The fourth singles against Pauline Parmentier – favorite French No. 2 Caroline Garcia by captain Julien Benneteau – at No. 2 Australian Ajla Tomljanovic.
Australia runs, her, after her first trophy for 45 years, the eighth overall. As the night before Garcia, stifled 6-0, 6-0 in 56 minutes, Barty is well into the game, with four aces in his first two service games and an entry break, to lead 3-0 . So that at that time, the world number 1 had not lost any game of the final.
Less domineering then, in service as in exchange, Barty held firm in the first set, helped also by the difficulties in the service of Mladenovic.
The first opening came in second set entry for the French number 1, when she got five break points, including three in a row. Barty did not bend. She even got a break point a little later, at 4-3, which could put her in the position to serve for the match. But his passing remained in the net. And the game gradually trickled between his fingers.
47 unforced errors for Barty
It was Mladenovic who broke in the next game, then pocketed the second run. It is also she who quickly widened the gap in the third, 3 games to 1.
At the edge of the precipice when she found herself facing a double break ball, Barty found the resources to pick up at 3-3.
In a late-game high voltage, Mladenovic served for the win of the match after a break at 5-4. But she knew the same fate at the worst moment. In the decisive game on the other hand, she left no chance to the world number 1, which has scored more than one point and ended up paying 47 faults.
This is Barty's first Fed Cup defeat since the beginning of 2017. It puts an end to a series of fifteen consecutive victories in the Fed Cup (singles and doubles) of the Roland-Garros 2019 and recent Masters winners.
France and Australia were tied for a win everywhere after the first day.
