Belgium off to winning start in Fed Cup (7/11/2001)

MADRID, Spain (AP) -- Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters got tournament-favorite Belgium off to a quick start in the opening matches of the Fed Cup on Wednesday against Germany.

Henin defeated Martina Muller 6-3, 6-1 and Clijsters made equally short work of teammate Bianka Lamade, winning by the same score. Belgium also won in doubles as Els Callens and Laurence Courtois defeated Lamade and Barbara Rittner 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1.

The sweep gave Belgium its first tie in the round-robin tournament.

In the tie between the Czech Republic and Russia, Kveta Hrdlickova gave the Czech a 1-0 lead with a victory over Elena Bovina 3-6, 6-1, 8-6. But Elena Dementieva evened at 1-1 with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory over Denisa Chladkova.

In the tie between Spain and Australia, Conchita Martinez struggled in a two-hour match to beat Alicia Molik 2-6, 6-0, 7-5. Molik had four break points in the seventh game of the final set but failed to capitalize as Spain took a 1-0 lead.

Belgium, chasing its first Fed Cup title, faces Australia on Friday and Spain on Saturday in its other group matches.

The Fed Cup field is divided into two, four-team round-robin groups with the two leaders playing in Sunday's final. Belgium, Germany, Spain and Australia are in one group with France, Russia, Argentina and the Czech Republic in the other.

Germany replaced the two-time defending champion Americans, who withdrew because of security concerns after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

Spain faced Australia later Wednesday.

Henin, the WTA's No. 7-ranked player and the losing finalist this year at Wimbledon, had no trouble with Muller -- ranked 100 places below her. She won the first set in 46 minutes and swept through the second in just 27.

Clijsters, ranked No. 5 by the WTA, blitzed through her first set in 29 minutes and took the second in 22 on the indoor clay courts in the Spanish capital.

"It's nice to win in two easy sets," Henin said. "It's good for confidence and physically it's good. It's a lot different to play on clay. At the beginning it was difficult, but that's normal after six months on hard courts."

Clijsters tried to be restrained after her easy victory on clay, saying her play was "better than I thought it would be."

"In the Fed Cup you never know. We're going to keep our feet on the ground and keep working."

Belgium is the only country in the eight-team event with two players in the top 10. France, the second favorite, is the only other team with a top-10 player in No. 9 Amelie Mauresmo.

Henin, 19, barged on to the tennis scene this season by reaching the Wimbledon finals before losing to Venus Williams. She also lost to Clijsters in the French Open semifinals.

Clijsters, 18, has had a similar year. She fell in the French Open final to Jennifer Capriati -- the first Belgian woman to play in that final -- and reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Now they're a team.

"It's nice to play together for the last week of the year," Henin said. "We'll enjoy this moment. We are alone all year on the tour, so it's nice to be a team one week in the year."

Belgium's main problem may be five-time champion Spain, where veterans Conchita Martinez and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario are always dangerous on clay.

"To play the Spanish in Spain is for sure difficult," Henin said. "They will have the crowd behind them. For sure we will have to be focused because they can also make the finals."

The Americans could face expulsion from next year's event and a fine when the ITF board of directors meets Nov. 24-25 in Dublin.

However, Fed Cup executive director Debbie Jevans said it seemed more likely there would be a lesser penalty or no penalty imposed.

"There's not a precedent -- because this is the first time we've had this in a final," she said. "Everybody is disappointed by the fact that the U.S. team isn't here. Having said that, one is very respectful of the climate there is after the terrorist attacks."

In play Thursday: France vs. Czech Republic, Germany vs. Australia, Russia vs. Argentina. On Friday: Spain vs. Germany, Belgium vs. Australia, Russia vs. France, Czech Republic vs. Argentina. Only two matches are set for Saturday: Belgium vs. Spain, France vs. Argentina.

from cnn.com