Two a penny

.The United States was the only team to take a lead after Fed Cup World Group first round ties, where Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic continued her woeful form.
The Americans are a win away from April’s semi-finals after racing to a 2-0 advantage over nervous host France, while defending champion Italy was level at 1-1 with World Group debutant Ukraine in their best-of-five encounter.
Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova swatted aside Ivanovic 6-1, 6-4 but Serbia drew level thanks to Jelena Jankovic.
American Bethanie Mattek-Sands gave last year’s runner-up the lead when she edged out an anxious Alize Cornet 7-6 (7-5), 7-5.
Czech Republic and Germany had also won one match each in their tie ahead of the reverse singles and doubles. I guess I take things too much to heart.
“I was really nervous when coming on the court. I felt like I was petrified by the stress,” France’s Cornet said.
Former world number one Ivanovic, who lost in the second round at the previous month’s Australian Open, has tumbled down to 23 in the rankings and was never in the match against Kuznetsova.
The US, again without the Williams sisters, went further ahead with Melanie Oudin’s 6-4, 6-4 win over Pauline Parmentier.
Jankovic levelled matters with a dogged 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 win over Alisa Kleybanova in the second rubber.
Despite the support of the Belgrade crowd, Ivanovic produced 21 unforced errors in the first set alone before world number four Kuznetsova comfortably closed out the second set.
The Ukrainian world number 26 cruised through the first set on the hard court in Kharkiv before 18th-ranked Schiavone fought back to go 3-1 up in the second.
Italy started badly with Alona Bondarenko crushing Francesca Schiavone 6-1, 6-4 in exactly an hour-and-a-half. .
Powerful Bondarenko then increased the tempo and retook the initiative with a series of booming shots, sealing victory when the Italian went wide with a forehand.
Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld confidently beat Czech 23-year-old Lucie Safarova 6-2, 6-2 in Brno but the home team levelled the tie at 1-1 thanks to Petra Kvitova’s battling 6-4, 6-4 win over Andrea Petkovic.
Pennetta, who struggled with the partisan crowd, often struck the net in an unconvincing victory.
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In World Group II, where the winners play off against the World Group losers in April, Australia was level at 1-1 with Spain, Estonia led Argentina 2-0, Slovakia was 2-0 up against China and Belgium was drawing 1-1 in Poland