Anastasia Myskina kept Russia's Fed Cup hopes alive by beating Moscow-born Tatiana Golovin 6-4, 7-6 in the second singles of the competition final against holders France on Saturday, levelling the score at 1-1.

Earlier, Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy had stunned U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 7-6, 8-6 in the opener to give the visitors a surprise early advantage against the hot favourites.

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Dechy, the highest-ranked non-Russian player at number 21, battled back in the second set to force a tiebreak, which she won 7-4.

In the decider Dechy broke the serve of a visibly frustrated Kuznetsova, ranked number five in the world, to love in the 13th game before wrapping up victory after two hours 25 minutes.