With her big lefty serve and ground strokes, the match was always going to be dependent on the form of Kvitova and in the second and third set she was able to produce high quality tennis.
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She struggled at times on serve, hitting nine double faults, but compensated with 28 winners to Pliskova’s 11 in their first encounter.
It is Federation Cup Final weekend and the two teams, defending champions the Czech Republic and challengers Russia have met up in Prague.
“I was nervous since yesterday just like every time at the beginning of a tournament and it was really hard to get going”, Kvitova said. The players and 13,000 spectators observed a minute of silence during the opening ceremony for the victims of the deadly attacks in the French capital.
“I didn’t serve my best and that’s something I’ll definitely need to improve for tomorrow, but it saved me in the end”, said Sharapova.
Sharapova was left with the task of earning a first point for the visitors and she was pegged back by Pliskova after breaking to lead 4-2 in set one.
“I was trying to hold my serve in the second set and then I had an opportunity to break her”, said Kvitova.
“I could have played better, I had my chances”.
Sunday’s reverse singles begin with Kvitova playing Sharapova, then Pliskova takes on Pavlyuchenkova.
On Sunday the Czechs, winners of three of the last four Fed Cup titles, will try to deny Russian Federation its first title since 2008. “You have to give everything that you have and I know both of us will. That’s the type of match that you want to see in a Fed Cup final”.
The Czechs are seeking their fourth title in five years and ninth overall, including five as Czechoslovakia which went on to split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.
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If the score is tied at 2-2, Czechs Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova are due to play against Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final doubles rubber.
