PARIS — Petra Kvitova led the Czech Republic into a 10th successive Fed Cup semi-final Sunday as Serena Williams was poised to make her long-awaited return to the sport she has dominated.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, playing in her first Fed Cup tie since she was attacked by a knife-wielding burglar at her home in December 2016, eased past Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-4 to give the Czechs an unassailable 3-0 lead over Switzerland in Prague.

Kvitova, 27, had already won her opening singles Saturday, beating Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.

"I'm very happy, I was very calm, relaxed throughout the match. I played a great match, I didn't lose my serve once," said Kvitova who announced her return to form with the St Petersburg WTA title last weekend.

"I didn't expect to stand in for Karolina (Pliskova, down with flu), but it was way above my expectations."

The Czechs, who have won the Fed Cup 10 times, will face either 2017 runner-up Belarus at home in April's semifinals, or travel to Germany.

In Minsk, the Belarus against Germany tie was being decided in the doubles after Tatjana Maria downed Vera Lapko 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 and home player Aryna Sabalenka defeated Antonia Lottner 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 to make the score 2-2.

In La Roche sur Yon, the tie between France and Belgium was also going down to the wire after French number one Kristina Mladenovic beat Australian Open semifinalist Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-4 before Alison Van Uytvanck eased past Pauline Parmentier 6-1, 6-3 to pull the hosts level.

Later Sunday, Serena Williams is expected to play her first competitive match since winning her 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open when she features in doubles for defending champions United States against the Netherlands.

Williams took a year out to give birth to daughter Alexis Olympia and is expected to play alongside Lauren Davis in the doubles of the tie being played in Asheville, North Carolina.

The US led 2-0 overnight after Venus Williams brushed aside 124th-ranked Arantxa Rus 6-1, 6-4 and CoCo Vandeweghe battled past Richel Hogenkamp 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3.

Venus' win came in her 1,000th career match and her 22nd singles appearance in a tournament she first played in 1999.

Pouille beats Gasquet for title

French tennis No. 1 Lucas Pouille clinched his fifth career ATP title Sunday with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 defeat of compatriot Richard Gasquet in the Montpellier final.

Three-time former champion Gasquet reached the final of the event for a sixth straight year, but the 31-year-old finished runner-up for the second time in a row following his 2017 defeat to Alexander Zverev.

Pouille, who sealed the Davis Cup for France in last year's final, missed his country's first-round victory over the Netherlands in Albertville last week with a neck injury. — AFP