Rookie Sarah Pitkowski helped defending champions France rally from 1-2 down to beat Belgium 3-2 in their Federation Cup World Group I first-round match in Ghent yesterday.

Pitkowski downed Sabine Appelmans 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to pull France level and Nathalie Tauziat and Alexandra Fusai then beat Els Callens and Laurence Courtois 64, 6-0 in the decisive doubles. France's victory was a bitter blow for Dominique Van Roost, who won both her singles for Belgium but got no support from her team-mates. French captain Yannick Noah was left relieved that two of his controversial decisions paid off. In addition to dropping France's top-ranked player Mary Pierce, Noah also selected Pitkowski to play singles ahead of the higher-ranked Nathalie Tauziat. France will now face Switzerland in the semi-finals on July 25th and 26th after world number one Martina Hingis led the Swiss to a 4-1 win over the Czech Republic in Prague.

The teams were level 1-1 after Saturday's opening singles, but the Swiss swept yesterday's matches with Hingis beating Jana Novotna 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, Patty Schnyder downing Adriana Gersi 6-3, 6-3 and Hingis and Schnyder then defeating Denisa Chladkova and Ludmila Richterova 6-0, 6-1 in the doubles. Magui Serna, a 19-year-old replacement for the injured Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, led Spain to a stunning 3-2 win over Germany in Saarbrucken and the Spaniards will face the United States in the other semi-final. Serna won her final singles and then teamed with Conchita Martinez to win the doubles as Spain came back from 1-2 down after former Wimbledon champion Martinez lost both of her singles. Serna beat Jana Kandarr 6-3, 6-4 and then joined Martinez to defeat Wiltrud Probst and Andrea Glass 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) in the doubles.

The Americans took a winning 3-0 lead over the injury-depleted Netherlands at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, when Lindsay Davenport beat Miriam Oremans 6-1, 6-2. The Americans avenged their surprise 3-2 opening-round loss to the Dutch a year ago. That defeat came in Europe as the Americans were trying to defend their record 15th Fed Cup crown. Davenport, not chosen for last year's loss to the Dutch, extended her wins to 21 in the competition, with only two defeats.