LONDON, Feb 8: A livid French team were preparing to launch an official protest after Italy grabbed a 2-0 lead on the opening day of their Fed Cup first round tie on Saturday.

A chilly Moscow proved an inhospitable place for China as they went 2-0 down to champions Russia.

In Orleans, France, a hot-headed Flavia Pennetta survived a moment of madness and a match point before downing Amelie Mauresmo 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 and Francesca Schiavone made it 2-0 to Italy after running down Alize Cornet 6-1, 2-6, 8-6.

France captain Nicolas Escude said the hosts would object to Pennetta’s win since the Italian made an obscene gesture towards the umpire when Mauresmo earned a match point at 7-6 in the second set tiebreak thanks to an overrule.

Mauresmo appeared to be heading for a straightforward victory when Pennetta hit out at the umpire.

She reacted angrily after the official overruled a backhand passing shot by the Italian that had initially been called in.

Mauresmo squandered the match point with a double fault and allowed the Italian to capitalise on her slip-up.

The Frenchwoman slammed the umpire for handing Pennetta only a verbal warning for the incident.

The winner of the tie will face Russia or China in the semi-finals.

Russia, targetting a fifth title in six years, proved too strong for an understrength Chinese team who were missing injured number one Zheng Jie.

Svetlana Kuznetsova overcame a scrappy performance in the second set to beat Yan Zi 6-2, 6-4 before Elena Dementieva thumped Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-0.

Before the tie Russian captain Shamil Tarpishchev was concerned about how his top players would adjust to the sub-zero temperatures in Moscow having toiled in over 40 degrees Celsius at the Australian Open last week.

In other contests, Argentina pulled level at 1-1 with the United States when Gisela Dulko beat 17-year-old Melanie Oudin 6-2, 7-5. Jill Craybas had put the 17-time champions ahead o home soil in Arizona with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Betina Jozami.

Australian Open champion Serena Williams and her sister Venus have opted out of the tie.

Spain were level at 1-1 with the Czech Republic.

Petra Kvitova handed the Czechs an unexpected 1-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-4 win over in-form Carla Suarez Navarro but Nuria Llagostera Vives kept the Spaniards in the hunt by producing a stirring fightback to beat Iveta Benesova 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.

—Reuters