AEGON Team GB came up short against a ferocious Austrian team on day two of the Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas tie in Lisbon, Portugal, going down 3-0 in their pool group D encounter.
Making her return to competitive action after six months recuperating from a knee injury, Anne Keothavong had a tough task on her hands in the form of Austrian No.2 Patricia Mayr (107 in the world), who despatched Belarussian Olga Govortsova with ease yesterday. It was Mayr who knocked Anne out of Wimbledon 2009, so the former British No.1 was raring to get her revenge.
Despite Keothavong taking the momentum from the off, and getting an early break, the Austrian got stronger and stronger throughout the match, pushing the Brit around from the baseline, and breaking her opponent twice more to take the first set 6-2.
With Keothavong struggling to keep up with Mayr's pace and consistency, the Austrian raced into a 4-0 lead in the second set, and although the Brit mounted a brief comeback, Mayr took the set and the match, 6-2, 6-2.
Playing to keep AEGON Team GB in the tie, Elena Baltacha also came out all guns blazing against Austrian No.1 Sybille Bammer, the world No.50. One break was the difference in the first set, the Austrian grinding away from the baseline to take it 6-3, despite Baltacha's best efforts. Exchanging breaks early in the second set, it looked like the momentum might swing in the Brit's favour when she denied Bammer the set at 2-5 down, only for the Austrian to finish things off 6-3, 6-3, and propel Austria to a 2-0 victory.
With the tie already lost, Keothavong and Sarah Borwell joined forces to attempt to salvage a point for Team GB in the doubles, competing against Mayr and Yvonne Meusburger. The British duo started strongly, breaking immediately, and going 2-0 up. But, as in the singles, the Austrians came roaring back, breaking in the ninth game, and serving out the set 6-4.
The second set saw breaks exchange hands like hot potatoes, but it was the Austrians who finally held firm after five consecutive breaks of serve, Meusburger serving them to a 6-4, 6-4 win, and a 3-0 victory.
"Naturally I'm disappointed," said GB Fed Cup captain Nigel Sears. "We were beaten by a better team on the day. It was a lot to ask from Annie K. I took a risk putting her in after being out for a long time, but she had been playing so well in practice I thought it was worth the risk and I knew that to get through perhaps the later stages of this group she would need to have some matches behind her and unfortunately she couldn't come up with it today, although Mayr played very well. It was a risk I took that didn't come off."
"It's a reflection of the strength of the Austrian team that they've won both singles against Belarus and us. I think the girls gave it their very best."
The result all but guarantees Austria will win the pool group, and ends AEGON Team GB's hopes of promotion to World Group II for another year. For a full account of GB's three matches against Austria, click here to read our exclusive coverage as it happened.
In the third and final day of round robin ties in Lisbon, GB will face Belarus at 4pm on Friday. There will be live coverage on the LTA website for the build-up from 2pm... Follow it live, with our exclusive coverage As It Happens
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