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Romania are keeping their Fed Cup World Group II place after defeating Great Britain 3-1 on Sunday in their Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group II play-off tie hosted by Tenis Club IDU in Mamaia as Irina Begu (ROU) defeated Heather Watson (GBR) 6-4 7-5.
Begu, assisted by her fellow player Sorana Cirstea prevailed in a balanced fixture that lasted two hours and two minutes.
After a medical problem left her out of what was supposed to be her first singles match on Saturday, and replaced by Sorana Cirstea, Begu started off with a break point, taking a 3-1 lead over Watson, who bounced back to a 3-3 tie. Begu managed to counter another serve, running away to 5-3 after a 40-0 game and two breakers fended off. The Romanian ended the set 6-4 after 43 minutes.
The second set was even closer, with Watson leading as she served 1-0 2-1 and 3-2. Beg broke a 3-3 tie, but lost her serve, while Watson bounced back, taking a 5-4 lead after three breakers missed by Begu. Begu returned the play to a 5-5 tie, won a new break, sealing a 7-5 victory in the end.
Begu, 26, WTA's 33rd, had defeated Watson, 24, WTA's 113th, 6-2 6-4 in the first round of the 2013 BNP Paris Bas Open in Indian Wells, the US, their only previous head-to-head meet.
Begu scored three aces to her opponent's two, made six double faults, to Watson's three, managing 26 winners to Watson's 20, with both players having made many unforced errors: Begu 38, Watson 40.
In Saturday's plays, Simona Halep defeated Heather Watson 6-4 6-1, while Johanna Konta beat Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-3. On Sunday, Halep defeated Konta cu 6-1 6-3 while Begu prevailed over GB's Watson.
Romania was aiming to stay in the second world group of the Fed Cup after being defeated by Belgium 3-1 in February, in Bucharest, in the first leg of the World Group II play-offs.
The GB is attempting to promote to World Group II after winning the tie in Europe/Africa Zone Group I. The UK side (Johanna Konta, Heather Watson, Jocelyn Rae/Laura Robson) won Group C after drubbing Latvia, Turkey and Portugal 3-0, and prevailing 2-1 over Croatia - as Konta lost to Croatia's Ana Konjuh - in the promotional play-off.
The Romanians lead the head-to-head between the two nations 4-1. Their first meet was in 1973, at Bad Homburg (Germany), with Romania defeating GB 2-1 in the World Group quarterfinals. In 1999, Romania once again won in Murcia, Spain, 2-0, in the Europe/Asia Group I semi-finals, and two years later, also in Murcia, they became victorious 2-1 in the first round of Group I. In 2004, UK managed to defeat Romania 2-1 in Malta in the Europe/Africa Group II play-off. Their last face-off was in 2014 in Budapest, Europe/Africa Group I play-offs, with Romania defeating Great Britain 2-1 as Simona Halep prevailed over Johanna Konta 6-1 6-4 after Heather Watson beat Sorana Cirstea 6-7 (7) 6-1 6-4, with the winning point to be won by the Romanian duo Irina Begu/Monica Niculescu in the doubles fixture versus Jocelyn Rae/Heather Watson.
