Fed Cup: Heather Watson & Johanna Konta help Great Britain to win over Latvia

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Johanna KontaImage source, British Tennis
Image caption,

Johanna Konta missed the Fed Cup in 2016 because of injury

Heather Watson and Johanna Konta led Great Britain to a second successive 3-0 win at the Fed Cup in Estonia.

World number 72 Watson beat Latvia's Diana Marcinkevica 6-3 6-0, before world number 10 Konta defeated 35th-ranked Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-3.

Jocelyn Rae and Laura Robson then saw off Daniela Vismane and Marcinkevica 6-0 6-7 (2-7) 6-2 in the doubles.

Britain beat Portugal 3-0 on Wednesday, and top the group going in to their final match against Turkey on Friday.

Victory would guarantee their place in the promotion play-offs on Saturday, when they would face the winners of Pool B.

"We knew that Latvia was going to be a strong team," said Konta. "It's never easy and a lot of players raise their level in Fed Cup. The scoreline doesn't suggest it was as difficult as it felt.

"I'm really enjoying it. I didn't get the chance to play it last year so from the very beginning of the season I was clear that I wanted it to be part of my schedule."

Fed Cup format

Unlike the men's team competition, the Davis Cup, which has a World Group of 16 nations, the Fed Cup divides its top teams into two groups of eight - World Group I and World Group II.

The 91 nations outside the top tiers are divided into three regional zones and Britain have one chance per year to escape - a format that hugely frustrated former captain Judy Murray.

The Europe/Africa Group I event, which this year takes place in Estonia, has 14 teams divided into groups, with Poland, Croatia, Britain and Serbia the seeded nations.

Four group winners will progress to promotion play-offs on Saturday, and two nations will then qualify for World Group II play-offs in April - which could see Britain given a home Fed Cup tie for the first time since 1993.

They fell at the same stage in 2012 and 2013 - away ties in Sweden and Argentina - under the captaincy of Judy Murray.

FED CUP EUROPE/AFRICA GROUP I

POOL A

POOL B

POOL C

POOL D

Poland

Croatia

Great Britain

Serbia

Georgia

Hungary

Turkey

Israel

Austria

Bosnia/Herzegovina

Latvia

Bulgaria

Portugal

Estonia

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