Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova defeated Maria Sharapova on Sunday giving four-time champions Russia a momentous 3-2 win over France and a position in the Fed Cup semi-finals.

Playing her first Fed Cup game in three years last Saturday, Sharapova had fallen with a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Virginia Razzano in the opening singles rubber. She also did not feature well in Moscow last Sunday.

After Alize Cornet defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, Russia had been down 2-0 overnight. However, world number 14 Pavlyuchenkova defeated Cornet 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 last Sunday, before Kuznetsova intensified the World Group I clash by seeing off Razzano to 6-4, 6-4.

In the history of the event, no team has ever overturned a 2-0 deficit. But, Pavlyuchenkova ignored the record books and partnered with Kuznetsova to a 7-6, 6-0 win against Cornet and Julie Coin in a fierce doubles competition.

Russia has been the 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 Fed Cup winners. On April, they will face two-time defending champions Italy in the semi-finals.

Italy defeated Australia 4-1 with world number Flavia Pennetta. In the competition, she extended her winning streak to 10 matches with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jarmila Groth. It was followed by world number four Francesca Schiavone, the French Open champion, with 7-6, 3-6, 7-5 win over Samantha Stosur.

Sera Errani and Roberta Vinci beat Australian combination Anastasia Rodionova and Rennae Stubbs 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the doubles rubber.

Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters took a semi-finals ticket for Belgium thanks to a 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Antwerp when the home-side took an indisputable lead over the United States.