champion Petra Kvitova

PRAGUE - The Czech Republic claimed its third Fed Cup title in four years after Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova fought hard to overcome Angelique Kerber of Germany in the opening reverse singles match on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers Jersey .In a matchup of two top-10 players, Kvitova prevailed 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4 in nearly three hours to give the Czechs an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best-of-five series on the indoor hard court at Pragues O2 Arena.It was an amazing match from both of us, Kvitova said. It was a very big fight. Im just glad that I did it. It was really up and down from the beginning of the match. It was always a big fight about every single point.Kvitova fought back from 4-1 down in the decisive set and went 5-4 up after earning a break point with a stunning forehand crosscourt winner before serving out the match.She converted her fourth match point when Kerbers backhand hit the net, prompting a wild celebration of team members on the court and 13,000 fans in the stands of the sold out arena.Czechs win #fedcup!!!! Congrats:), tweeted Martina Navratilova, a prominent Czech supporter who was in the stands. Navratilova won the Fed Cup with Czechoslovakia and later with the United States.This is something you cant have every day and we have it here for the second time, Kvitova said.With Kvitova on the team, the Czechs won their first title as an independent nation following the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia in 2011 in Moscow and retained the trophy in Pragues O2 Arena the following year. Czechoslovakia won five times, including three straight from 1983-85. It beat Germany in the 1983 final.In a thrilling first set that took 76 minutes, Kerber wasted six set points before Kvitova converted her second one in a tie breaker with a forehand winner.Kerber wasted a 5-2 lead in the first set, allowing Kvitova to fight back to level the set at 5-5 and the two were not able to hold serve in the last two games before the tiebreaker.Unlike her victory on Saturday, Kvitova struggled with consistency, producing 30 unforced errors in the opening set compared to Kerbers 16.But at the key moments, Kvitova could still rely on her fierce groundstrokes and serve, hitting 70 winners and 12 aces.Kvitova marched on in the second. She broke Kerber in the opening game at love and again in the third game to jump to a 3-0 lead with a big forehand winner.Kerber was not ready to surrender. She capitalized on two Kvitova double faults in the sixth game for a break to claw her way back.Im playing for Germany, Im playing for my team, Kerber said. I gave everything I had today but at the end Petra was better. I think it was just two, three points which decided the match. She deserved to win but we both played on a high level today. It was for sure one of the best matches this season for me.The Germans have not won the trophy since 1992.The Czechs took control of the series with a 2-0 lead after the opening singles matches on Saturday.Kvitova cruised past Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-4 and Lucie Safarova doubled the lead by defeating Kerber 6-4, 6-4.Germanys pair of Julia Goerges and Sabine Lisicki defeated Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-3 in the doubles to make the final scoreline 3-1.Despite the final loss, Germany enjoyed a successful year, winning away at Slovakia and Australia to reach its first Fed Cup final since 1992. It beat Spain for the title that year with now captain Barbara Rittner in the side. Derrick Rose Jersey .That is precisely what they got Sunday.The Ravens trailed at halftime and never built a comfortable lead against lowly Jacksonville, yet did just enough to squeeze out a 20-12 win to stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Anthony Davis Jersey . He left in the 4th inning of Saturdays game against the Tigers after experiencing tightness. Reyes and the team still hope that he will be ready for Opening Day in Tampa Bay in one week.KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Its one game Kevin Koe never looks forward to playing. "This one, you dont get a lot of enjoyment out of," the Alberta skip said, after beating younger brother Jamie Koe from the Northwest Territories-Yukon 8-3 in eight ends Monday at the Canadian mens curling championship. "Its never fun beating them because Im always cheering for them every year theyre here," he said. "That being said, we needed a win." Alberta improved to 3-1 at the Tim Hortons Brier, at least until the evening draw, when he was set to face unbeaten Manitoba and Jeff Stoughton. The Territories fell to 1-3. "Its good that its early in the week so hopefully both of us win the rest of our games," he added. "Theyre obviously better," Jamie said of the encounters with his brother. "Were going to have to play our best and hope for some breaks but its a fair battle." Jamie Koe has represented the Territories four out of the last five years but when Kevin has been there he has always won the brother-vs.-brother tussle. Monday also saw New Brunswicks James Grattan score his first win this year against Greg Balsdon of Ontario 9-6. Grattan gave Stoughton a fight Sunday as well and said it felt good to get a monkey off his back with the win. "When we went to bed last night we felt pretty good about it," he said of the Manitoba game. "The team in the last two games has really shown up." He says getting used to the ice has been an issue. They lost their first game 13-5 and the second 10-1. "We come from an area of the world where the ice is fairly straight all the time . . Coming out here and all of a sudden youre taking the 122-foot to get to the lid and its a different ball game. Dak Prescott Jersey. " Its also important to win games at the Brier if you want a reserved spot in the future. A new system is coming into place that will force the bottom finishers to compete for the right to return. Its being brought in to keep the field the same size with the addition of a Team Canada and new rinks from Nunavut and Yukon, instead of just one Territories team. P.E.I.s Eddie MacKenzie also grabbed a share of second place as he climbed to 3-1 after beating Quebecs Jean-Michel Menard. But, that could change after the evening draw. MacKenzie has already matched his combined record at his first two Brier appearances for Prince Edward Island , in 2011 and 2013. "Its definitely better than 0-5 or 0-6 like we were the last couple of times," he said. "Id say being here the last three out of four years helps for sure, playing on arena ice a little more." Saskatchewans Steve Laycock also sat at 3-1 after beating still winless Nova Scotia 5-3. "We kind of figured 3-1 or 4-0 was where wed want to be after this stretch because we do have some of the favourites coming up," he said. Nova Scotia skip Jamie Murphy isnt too thrilled at the Canadian Curling Association for the changes coming in 2015 that could see Nova Scotia have to fight for the right to play in the Brier. "Were firm believers that messing with traditions such as the Brier doesnt seem like a smart decision," he said of the new system, popularly known as relegation, although it seems anything but popular. "Were obviously biased when we say that because were probably going to be in the relegation pool." ' ' '