Garcia, Mladenovic return to lead France in Fed Cup final

[November 02, 2016]    PARIS (Reuters) - Top doubles team Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic will spearhead France's challenge in the Davis Cup final against defending champions Czech Republic after making their return following a suspension.

Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic of France celebrate a game won against Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in the championship match on day fourteen of the 2016 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

In September, the French tennis federation lifted a ban on the pair, who were sanctioned the previous month for criticizing the organization following a mix-up over their clothing in a first-round doubles loss at the Rio Olympics.

The French pair are second in the WTA rankings but were defeated in the semi-finals of the doubles tournament at last week's WTA Finals in Singapore despite starting as top seeds.

Captain Amelie Mauresmo also named Alize Cornet and Pauline Parmentier for the Nov. 12-13 tie that will be played in Strasbourg, France. Garcia is ranked 23rd in the singles rankings while Mladenovic is 42nd.

The Czech Republic have won the event four times in the last five years.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by John O'Brien)

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