ETTENHEIM, Germany, April 23 - German number one
Anna-Lena Groenefeld defeated Jill Craybas 6-2 7-5 on Sunday to
hand Germany a lifeline in their Fed Cup first-round match
against the U.S.
World number 14 Groenefeld put a disappointing loss in the
opening singles tie against Jamea Jackson on Saturday behind her
to reduce the American lead to 2-1.
Now Groenefeld must hope world number 104 Martina Mueller
will do better against 75th-ranked Jackson in the final singles
rubber to set up a tense doubles finale.
The U.S. hold a 6-4 advantage over Germany in their
head-to-head meetings. The two nations last met in 1992 when
Germany won 2-1 in a semi-final clash in Frankfurt, before going
on to record their last Fed Cup triumph.