Russia completed a 3-0 whitewash of France on Thursday to reach the Hopman Cup final.
The top seeds, who had been beaten in their first match by hosts Australia, started the day needing to win all three rubbers to overtake the French at the top of Group A.
Nadia Petrova kept up her end of the bargain by beating Tatiana Golovin in two sets before partner Dmitry Tursunov made it 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Jerome Haehnel.
They then paired up to beat the French duo 6-4, 6-2 in 67 minutes in the mixed doubles to book their place in Friday's final.
"I'm very relieved because after our first match we didn't have any more chances," Petrova said in a courtside interview.
World number six Petrova triumphed 7-6, 6-0 despite receiving treatment for a strained side during the first set against the 20-year-old Golovin, winning in an hour and 29 minutes to put the Russians in sight of the final.
Australia are playing the United States in the dead second contest in the pool with the match tied at 1-1.
Alicia Molik gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Ashley Harkleroad before Mardy Fish levelled the tie with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Nathan Healey, a late replacement for the injured Mark Philippoussis.
The identity of the second finalist will be clarified later on Thursday with India needing to beat Spain to book their place in their competition debut.
Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna guided India into the tournament after winning the inaugural Asian Hopman Cup in November.
Defeat would probably let in the Spanish, while a 3-0 rout of Croatia is the only way the Czech Republic can sneak in on sets countback and reach Friday's title decider.
© 2024 Rediff.com -