Czechoslovakia completed Fed Cup three-peat on this day in 1985
On October 13, 1985, Czechoslovakia secured its third straight Fed Cup title by beating the United States in the final. The U.S. side was missing Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. Hana Mandlikova and Helena Sukova led the Czechoslovak team.
The 1985 Fed Cup used its original format: 40 teams gathered for one week in Nagoya, Japan. Czechoslovakia arrived as two-time defending champion, having also won in 1983 and 1984 with Mandlikova and Sukova. The American side lacked world No. 1 Martina Navratilova and No. 2 Chris Evert, making Czechoslovakia the favorite.
Mandlikova, born in 1962, had just won the 1985 US Open by defeating Evert and Navratilova. Sukova, born in 1965, was ranked No. 8 in 1985 and had stopped Navratilova’s 1984 Grand Slam bid at the Australian Open. Against Bulgaria, Mandlikova beat Manuela Maleeva, while Sukova fell to Katerina Maleeva; the pair then won the deciding doubles.
This result may have boosted visibility for Czechoslovak women’s tennis and Fed Cup, especially for fans in Czechoslovakia and Japan. Young athletes, particularly girls, could see Mandlikova and Sukova as models of sustained team success. The U.S. team’s missing stars may have affected perceptions of the final’s competitiveness, while the event in Nagoya could have increased local interest in international tennis.