MOSCOW (AP)—Vera Zvonareva and Svetlana Kuznetsova won singles matches Saturday to give Russia a 2-0 lead over Italy in the semifinal of the Fed Cup.
Zvonareva defeated Sara Errani in the opening singles 6-0, 6-2 and Kuznetsova edged Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-1.
The third-ranked Zvonareva was in full control of the match, with 33 winners to Errani’s nine.
Italy, the two-time defending champions, are without its top players.
Francesca Schiavone, the French Open champion, is not playing to concentrate on the clay-court season. Flavia Pennetta is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
The winner of the match will play either Belgium or the Czech Republic in the final on Nov. 5-6.
