Moscow: Champions Russia eased to an unbeatable 3-0 lead in their Fed Cup first round tie against China after Anna Chakvetadze thrashed Yan Zi 6-1 6-2 on Sunday.

Chakvetadze made sure Russia, who are looking to win their fifth title in six years, booked a place in the semi-finals by dominating a scrappy, error strewn match from the outset.

The 21-year-old Chakvetadze broke Yan's first two service games, and six times in total, in the 67-minute encounter

Both players struggled to hit clean winners and instead produced a string of errors. The match featured 56 unforced errors, which accounted for more than half the number of points played

Yan did break Chakvetadze's serve in the fifth game of the second set but by then it was too late and the world number 19 overcame the hiccup to give Russia the winning point in the tie

Russia will face either France or Italy in the semi-finals in April.


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