Italy beats Czech Republic to reach Fed Cup final

Roberta Vinci and Italy will face Russia in the Fed Cup final.

Alessandro Fucarini/AP

Roberta Vinci put Italy into the Fed Cup final, beating Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3 Monday to clinch a 3-1 win in a series that had been postponed a day because of rain.

In front of a sparse crowd - with most visiting fans having traveled home on Sunday - Vinci recovered from 5-3 down in the second set to serve for the match at 6-5. But Safarova broke back to force the tiebreaker, which she dominated.

The 30-year-old Vinci then broke for a 5-3 lead in the third before clinching the victory on her third match point.

The final doubles match was canceled.

Italy will face Russia in the final.