Russia's women crowned a golden year for the nation's female tennis players when they lifted the Fed Cup for the first time on Sunday.

The final with France went to the deciding doubles rubber and Anastasia Myskina and Vera Zvonareva outlasted the defending champions Marion Bartoli and Emilie Loit of France, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 in the decisive match at Krylatskoe Ice Stadium.

It completes a magical year for the daughters of the Motherland. At the start of 2004 no Russian woman had ever won a Grand Slam title.

Following Myskina's groundbreaking win in the French Open, however, Maria Sharapova's success at Wimbledon and Svetlana Kuznetsova's in the US Open ensured that three of the four grand slam crowns were in Russian hands while now they have also won the biggest team prize in the women's game.

The tie was level at 1-1 overnight and Myskina began Sunday's action by defeating Nathalie Dechy, 6-3 6-4.

In the ensuing match, however, US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova was upset by Tatiana Golovin - herself born in Russia but now a French national - 6-4 6-1, forcing the doubles match.

Myskina, the reigning French Open champion who won both of her singles matches in the finals here, replaced Kuznetsova on the doubles card.

She and Zvonareva helped Russia to victory in front of a frenzied crowd which included former president Boris Yeltsin, who was one of the first to congratulate the champions.

France played without the world's second-ranked player, Amelie Mauresmo, and two-time grand slam champion Mary Pierce.