Montreal--Canada and Romania were knotted at 1-1 on Saturday after two upsets on the first day of their FedCup World Group playoff tie.
Francoise Abanda, ranked 260th in the world, got the tie off with a bang for the hosts with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory over 33rd-ranked Irina-Camelia Begu.
But Alexandra Dulgheru, ranked 69th in the world, responded with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over world number seven Eugenie Bouchard.
Abanda got off to a quick start with a break for a 2-0 lead. Begu won six of the next eight games to pocket the first set.
Abanda came out ahead in a much tighter second set, and recovered an early break to finish Begu off in the third.
Bouchard, who became Canada's first Grand Slam singles finalist with her runner-up finish at Wimbledon last year, was unable to stretch the hosts' lead.
Her loss to Dulgheru was another disappointing defeat in a season that has seen her struggle on the WTA Tour, with three opening-match defeats on the tour this year and two missed tournaments because of a right forearm injury.
Bouchard did make Dulgheru work until the bitter end, saving four match points before the Romanian closed it out.
The best-of-five tie will now come down to two-out-of-three with the remaining matches to be played on Sunday.
With a win, Canada would keep their spot in the elite World Group, while Romania are trying to get back in the World Group for the first time since 1992.
AFP
