Angelique Kerber, who won the Australian Open last month, was given a hero’s welcome as she marked her return to her homeland with a victory that drew Germany even with Switzerland at 1-1 in the first round of the Fed Cup. Kerber eased past Timea Bacsinszky, 6-1, 6-3, to the delight of the fans in Leipzig.
The Netherlands led Russia, 2-0, in Moscow. Kiki Bertens thumped Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3, 6-4, and Richel Hogenkamp hung in for exactly four hours to tame the two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, 7-6, 5-7, 10-8, in the longest Fed Cup singles match in history.