Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu managed to beat Czech star Petra Kvitova in the second match of the Romania-Czech Republic Fed Cup encounter and make the score at 1-1 after the first day.

Niculescu beat Kvitova after two long sets ended 6-3, 6-4, on Saturday afternoon. The first set took almost one hour.

She thus managed to keep Romania’s hopes alive against the reigning Fed Cup champions, after Romania’s star Simona Halep lost to Karolina Pliskova earlier in the day.

On Sunday, Halep plays against Kvitova and Niculescu meets Pliskova. If the score remains level after the two matches, the winning team will be decided after the doubles match, which pits Romania’s Andreea Mitu and Raluca Olaru against Czech duo Denisa Allertova/Barbora Strycova.

The winner of this encounter will move on to the competition’s semifinals while the losing team will play against the winners in World Group II to remain among the best eight teams in the world.

Fed Cup: Romania’s women’s tennis team play against the Czech Republic this weekend

editor@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Federatia Romana de Tenis of Facebook)