Caroline Garcia ensured a suspenseful second day in the Fed Cup final by downing two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova 7-6 (6) 6-3 to draw France level with the defending champion Czech Republic 1-1.
Garcia's victory restored some hope in the French camp after sixth-ranked Karolina Pliskova won a marathon third set against Kristina Mladenovic to give the Czechs the first point on Saturday.
The Czechs are bidding for a fifth title in six years this weekend. They won the most recent tie between them in the semifinals last year, and are favorites to become the first team to win three consecutive Fed Cups since Spain from 1993-95.
After Kvitova came back from 2-4 down in the opener, Garcia — the No. 1 French player — prevailed in the tiebreaker by taking risks. She closed out the set on her second chance with a crosscourt backhand that Kvitova could not return.
Garcia was broken at the start of the second set but made the most of Kvitova's unforced errors to claim four consecutive games. Kvitova saved a match point with a forehand winner in the ninth game and Garcia converted her second with a shot on the baseline that surprised her Czech rival.
"Caro played a fantastic match, I had never seen her play at such a high level," France captain Amelie Maursemo said. "Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful day."
Sunday features the reverse singles, and finishes with doubles, when Alize Cornet and Pauline Parmentier face Czechs Barbora Strycova and Lucie Hradecka.
Depending on how the tie goes, Mauresmo could send out Garcia and Mladenovic in the doubles. They won the French Open, and came from a set down to win the decisive rubber against the Netherlands in the semifinals.
Pliskova, the U.S. Open runner-up, earlier recovered from a second-set blip to beat Mladenovic 6-3, 4-6, 16-14 after the French player came close to achieving a stunning comeback on the indoor hard court at Rhenus Sport arena.
Pliskova used her deep groundstrokes to take control at first but showed her nerves midway through the second set, allowing Mladenovic back into the match with a series of mistakes.
Mladenovic rallied from 5-2 down in the decider and saved two match points with two big serves, including an ace, to level at 9-9. The Frenchwoman cracked on her serve in the 30th game when she was broken at love after almost four hours.
Former champion Caroline Wozniacki outlasted fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the Pan Pacific Open quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Wozniacki won four of five break points in the nearly three-hour match at Ariake Coliseum.
"We played for such a long time and ... the standard was very high," Wozniacki said. "Luckily, I'm the one here, and I'm happy to get through."
Wozniacki, who won the title in 2010 and reached the final in 2014, looked set for a comfortable win but Suarez Navarro reeled off four straight games to take the second set.
A sudden rain delay at the start of the third set took the momentum away from Suarez Navarro as the Spaniard double-faulted to slip a break behind.
Wozniacki served out. She will meet either Yulia Putintseva or Magda Linette in the quarterfinals.
Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska also faced a major challenge but prevailed over Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
Radwanska will next face Monica Puig, who rallied to upset 2013 champion Petra Kvitova 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
The Puerto Rican, who also beat Kvitova on her way to becoming the Rio de Janeiro Olympic champion, recovered from 4-2 down in the final set. She saved 10 of 13 break points.
Japanese wild card Naomi Osaka beat sixth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-1 to set up a quarterfinal with either Karolina Pliskova or Aliaksandra Sasnovich.
PARIS -- Screaming in anger and hitting her racket on the red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier, Petra Kvitova came close to exiting the French Open on the first day of the Grand Slam tournament.
On a rainy Sunday, the two-time Wimbledon champion was pushed to a suspenseful three-set battle by 59th-ranked Danka Kovinic, who served for the match before Kvitova raised her game and eventually prevailed 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, taking the last three games.
In the men's draw, 17th-seeded Nick Kyrgios lost his temper and received a warning for shouting at a ball kid, but the 21-year-old Australian had no problem advancing to the second round with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (6), 6-4 win over Marco Cecchinalo. Also advancing before rain halted play early in the afternoon was No. 19 Benoit Paire.
Of the 32 matches on Sunday's schedule, only 10 were completed before the announcement to cancel all matches for the day came at 6:28 p.m. local time.
Fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan led Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-1, 5-4, and No. 23 Jack Sock of the United States was up 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-1 against Robin Haase of the Netherlands when covers were brought on all courts.
Facing a player who never got beyond the second round at any major, Kvitova looked set for a comfortable start to her campaign in the French capital after breaking Kovinic twice to seal the first set 6-2 and opening a 3-1 lead in the second.
Kovinic, of Montenegro, then changed her approach and destabilized Kvitova with her deep groundstrokes.
"I saw in the first set that my balls were very short and she controlled every point," the 21-year-old Kovinic said. "I tried to play longer points and with more spins in the second set, and it seemed good."
Kovinic produced a superb lob to even the match at one set apiece and continued to apply pressure on Kvitova with her powerful tennis.
Showing her frustration, Kvitova smacked her racket on the ground after hitting a double fault and fluffing a backhand in the ninth game of the decider. The Czech hit two more double faults in that game to drop her serve. But with her back against the wall, Kvitova recovered with a series of winners, including a backhand down the line to break back.
She then won eight of the next 10 points.
"It was a big fight again. I'm happy that I won it," Kvitova said. "I played a lot of three-set matches, but it's not my plan when I'm stepping on the court. I think that from the experience which I have already, I still can believe that I still can win it. Even if she's serving for the match."
Kvitova, who raised her modest record to 12-11 for the year, comes off a disappointing tournament in Rome, where she lost her first match to American Madison Keys.
In January, Kvitova lost in the second round of the Australian Open, to Daria Gavrilova, her earliest exit in her past eight majors. Her post-match comments suggested she still wrestles with a career-long malady of wavering confidence.
"I think that from the experience, which I have already, I still can believe that I still can win it," Kvitova said. "Even she's serving for the match or something like that. It's really like difficult and close situation in a match, but I still am trying to trust myself."
Earlier, 24th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova became the first player to advance to the second round with a 6-2, 6-0 win over qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo.
About six months after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, heightened security at Roland Garros was noticeable Sunday, including extra bag checks and pat-downs that led to longer-than-usual waits at the entrance gates.
Information from ESPN's Greg Garber was used in this report.
Eighth seed Petra Kvitova was forced to dig deep on Tuesday afternoon to avert a big upset at the BNP Paribas Open, coming back from a set down to see off American qualifier Nicole Gibbs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in two hours and two minutes. With this victory, Kvitova will now meet third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, in a rematch of their encounter at the 2015 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore presented by SC Global, where the Pole prevailed in three sets.
Gibbs Recovers from A Break Down to Take Opening Set
After beginning the match with three consecutive holds, it was unsurprisingly Kvitova who initiated the first break, using her heavy ground strokes to move Gibbs from side-to-side en route to claiming an early 3-1 lead. Not to be outdone, the American qualifier showed exactly why she already has 17 wins to her credit this season, grinding out points from the back of the court before breaking straight back. Just minutes later, Gibbs was able to restore parity at 3-all with some intelligent serving.
Nicole Gibbs serves to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. | Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America
As the set progressed, one could just sense that Kvitova was starting to go off the boil while Gibbs was rock solid from the back of the court. Unable to find her timing, the eighth seed quickly found herself staring down two break points in the following game. But this time, Gibbs did not wait for Kvitova to commit the error; the American proving she is equally comfortable on the offensive as she is on the defensive, breaking at the first time of asking with a stunning backhand pass.
From there, the rest of the set went with serve. Impressively, Gibbs was able to hold her own against the two-time Wimbledonchampion despite holding an unusually low first serve percentage for the majority of the set. As another unforced error flew off the racquet of Kvitova, Gibbs sealed the opening set 6-4, and was just a set away from the biggest win of her young career.
Kvitova Claims Decisive Break to Take Second Set
After a dismal end to the opening set, Kvitova picked up her game when it mattered most, painting the lines with some stunning winners en route to opening up a 3-0 lead. But much like in the opening set, Gibbs refused to give in, running down every ball to force errors out of her Czech counterpart. After an impressive start to the second set, Kvitova's lead had almost completely evaporated after Gibbs hit back, recovering the early break to reduce the deficit to 2-3.
However, all of that hard work ended in vain for the American qualifier as the eighth seed hit back, breaking once more to open a 4-2 lead. Though Gibbs was well on her way to making it three breaks in succession, Kvitova came up with the goods out of nowhere, saving three break points en route to holding for 5-2.
Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic celebrates against Nicole Gibbs during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. | Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America
Despite not taking any of her opportunities in the last game, Gibbs was not disheartened, and continued to show the same grit and fight en route to holding and forcing Kvitova to serve for the set at 5-3. This time, however, the world number nine had no difficulties behind her powerful serve, holding to win the second set 6-3 and force a decider.
Kvitova Clinches Decisive Break, Serves Her Way to Victory
After exchanging holds to open proceedings in the decider, it was Kvitova whose persistence was rewarded as she drew first blood in the decider, consequently opening up a 2-1 lead. Not to be outdone, Gibbs benefited from a couple of untimely miscues from the Czech to break straight back, much to the delight of the enthusiastic home crowd.
After exchanging breaks, the pair exchanged holds before the eighth seed began to make her move from the receiving end once more. Using her flat and powerful ground strokes to devastating effect, Kvitova was able to force errors out of Gibbs, who was admittedly frustrated herself for not making the most of her opportunities. As a result, the two-time former Wimbledon champion broke at a crucial time to take a 4-3 lead.
Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic serves to Nicole Gibbs during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. | Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America
In the end, Kvitova's sheer power proved too much for Gibbs to handle as the rest of the set went with serve, ultimately resulting in a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory for the eighth seed against a very worthy opponent.
"It's always tough to come back after losing the first set and I really tried," Kvitova said in her post-match interview. "And I think the third set was a really good game from both of us and in the end, I'm the lucky one."
Kvitova's Win by the Numbers
Breaking five times out of seven opportunities, it is safe to say that Kvitova was the one dictating how the majority of this match would play out. In the end, the Czech overcame 46 unforced errors by hitting 27 winners -- two of them aces -- to secure a hard-fought victory.
Gibbs, on the other hand, was not as consistent as she would have liked, hitting just 11 winners to 26 unforced errors, but this has still been an incredible tournament for the American qualifier, one she will look to build on going forward.
Next up for Kvitova: Agnieszka Radwanska
Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic and Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland pose with their trophies after their final match during the BNP Paribas WTA Finals, which Radwanka won in three sets, at Singapore Sports Hub on November 1, 2015 in Singapore. | Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images AsiaPac
With this victory, Kvitova sets up an intriguing clash with third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, in a rematch of their 2015 WTA Finals final where the Pole triumphed in three sets. The pair have met nine times before, with the Czech holding a sizeable 6-3 head-to-head record against the Pole. With Kvitova's power matched with Radwanska's variety, this could prove to be an enthralling encounter for everyone involved.
