Australia remain well placed to reach their first Fed Cup final in 26 years after Ashleigh Barty beat former world number one Victoria Azarenka to level their semi-final against Belarus.

The visitors had led in Brisbane after Aryna Sabalenka beat former US Open champion Sam Stosur 7-5 5-7 6-3.

In the other semi-final, Romania and France are also deadlocked at 1-1 after the opening singles on Saturday.

France’s Caroline Garcia beat Mihaela Buzarnescu 6-3 6-3 to level.

French Open champion Simona Halep earlier outclassed Kristina Mladenovic in a 6-3 6-1 win to put Romania ahead.

The Romanians are aiming for their maiden Fed Cup final after upsetting defending champions Czech Republic in an epic quarter-final.

• Boulter suffers dramatic defeat as GB & Kazakhstan remain level
• Live scores, schedule and results
• Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone