BRNO, Czech Republic — Just three years ago, Alexa Glatch broke both arms in a motor scooter accident and her tennis future looked bleak.

On Saturday, the 19-year-old pulled off a major upset in her Fed Cup debut, dominating Iveta Benesova 6-1, 6-2 to lift the United States to a 1-1 tie with the Czech Republic in the semifinals.

"It took me a while to recover from that," Glatch said. "I was out of tennis, I didn't hit the ball for about eight months. It's been a long journey."

American Bethanie Mattek-Sands lost to Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the opening match on the indoor hard court at Rondo Arena. The United States is playing without No. 2 Serena Williams and fifth-ranked Venus Williams, who are sitting out this Fed Cup matchup.

In the other Fed Cup semifinal, Flavia Pennetta and Francesca Schiavone won their singles matches to give Italy a 2-0 lead against Russia.

Pennetta beat Anna Chakvetadze 6-4, 6-0, and Schiavone rallied to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 on the clay courts in Castellaneta Marina, Italy.

Reverse singles and the doubles are scheduled for Sunday. The winners will meet in the Fed Cup final on Nov. 7-8.

The United States has won 17 Fed Cup titles but none since 2000.

Glatch, ranked 114th, controlled the first set by breaking the 29th-ranked Benesova in the second and fourth game to take a 5-0 lead.

"I tried to be pretty aggressive on returns," Glatch said. "It's key for me to be aggressive and take my chances."

Glatch broke Benesova in the opening game of the second set and again in the seventh game. She clinched the win in only 56 minutes when Benesova's return hit the net.

Benesova, whose record fell to 3-9 in Fed Cup, said she may give up her spot in future matches.

"I'm struggling in the Fed Cup," she said. "I play like I'm No. 500, and that's not enough."

Captain Petr Pala said he hadn't decided whether Benesova would play on Sunday.

In the first match, Kvitova showed no sign of a recent ankle injury. She was declared fit to play on Friday.

"The ankle was not a problem," she said. "I was just nervous at the beginning. I was trying to focus on my game and that worked."

The 19-year-old Kvitova broke her opponent for a 3-1 lead in the first set when Mattek-Sands double-faulted, and then again in the ninth game to take the set.

The 39th-ranked Mattek-Sands, also making her Fed Cup debut, fought back in the second and broke Kvitova in the seventh game. But she failed to serve out the set as Kvitova rallied from 3-5 down to force a tiebreaker.

"I should have held my serve," Mattek-Sands. "I didn't play well today. She came with great shots and I didn't know how to respond."

In the tiebreaker, Kvitova relied on her solid serve to take a 5-0 lead. She improved her record to 4-1 in Fed Cup singles.