Romania Shoes Czech Republic How Its Done.

Romania reached the Fed Cup semi-finals for the first time on Sunday with a 3-2 win over defending champions Czech Republic as Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu stunned Wimbledon and French Open winners Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in a marathon doubles decider.

The result ended the 10-time champions Czechs hopes of making the Fed Cup semi-finals for an 11th successive year and represented their first home defeat in a decade.

Earlier Simona Halep won the battle of the former world number ones with an epic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 triumph over Karolina Pliskova, the Czechs highest-ranked player in the absence of world number three Petra Kvitova.