LEIPZIG, Germany — Belinda Bencic upset Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber 7-6 (4), 6-3 to give Switzerland a 2-1 lead over Germany in their Fed Cup first-round tie on Sunday.
The 18-year-old Bencic, ranked 11th, came from 1-4 down to win the first set tiebreak and she needed just one match point to seal the win in 1 hour, 32 minutes.
No. 2-ranked Kerber appeared out of sorts eight days after claiming her first Grand Slam title in a three-set victory over Serena Williams in Melbourne.
Timea Bacsinszky could seal Switzerland's progress to April's semifinals with a win over the 39th-ranked Annika Beck in the fourth rubber ahead of the doubles match.