Intro:

Petra Kvitová cruises past Andrea Petkovic 6-2 6-4 to give the Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over Germany in the Fed Cup final.

Script:

The Fed Cup final began in Prague on Saturday with the Czech Republic looking for a third win in four years.

The opening tied pitted Petra Kvitová against Germany's Andrea Petkovic.

Wimbledon champion Kvitova raced into a 3-0 lead against Petkovic in the opening set, which she went on to win.

The German world number 14 broke Kvitova at the start of the second set, but balance was soon restored.

At 4-5 down, Petkovic double-faulted to hand Kvitova a match point and the world number four converted it for a 6-2 6-4 win when the German sent a forehand long.

Kvitova improved to 22-6 in the Fed Cup singles and levelled her head-to-head record with Petkovic at 4-4.

Lucie Safarova will play German number one Angelique Kerber in the second singles match on the indoor hard court.