Team from Down Under trounce Kiwis to make play-offs in qualifying
EARLY EXIT: Kiwi Rosie Cheng hits a return to Lizette Carbera of Australia in the first singles match yesterday. Carbera won 6-7(1), 6-2, 6-1. — Photo by Davidson Kho
- POWER SERVE: Yada Vasuponchai serves as her partner Apiramon Nakrornkan waits during their doubles match against Indonesia’s Rifanty Dwi Kahfiani and Deria Nur Haliza yesterday. Yada-Apiramon won 6-1, 6-1 to hand Thailand a 2-1 victory. — Photo by Johnathan Bullet
KUCHING: Favourites Australia breezed into the play-offs for the top eight positions when they steamrollered New Zealand 3-0 in the final of their preliminary Group A matches at the Asia-Oceania Final Qualifying Girls Event for the World Junior Team Championship yesterday.
Lizette Carbera gave the top seeds a winning start when she overcame Rosie Cheng 6-7(1), 6-2 and 6-1 in the first singles while Naiktha Bains doubled the lead by beating Paige Hourigan 6-2, 6-4 in the second singles.
Bains and Anja Dokic wrapped up the tie for Australia by trouncing Rosie Cheng and Hourigan 6-0, 6-2 in the doubles.
Australia had also beaten Sri Lanka 3-0 and edged Hong Kong 2-1.
With the three wins, they top Group A and will next play fourth seeds Uzbekistan who lost 1-2 to eighth seeds Thailand yesterday.
The two winning teams are joined by Japan who beat India 2-0 in another Group B tie.
Chihiro Muramatsu beat Dhruthi Venugopal 7-5, 6-2 while Ayaka Higashi was stretched the full distance by Sneha Devi Reddy before winning 5-7, 6-3 and 6-3. Both teams agreed to abandon the academic doubles.
Japan’s next opponent are sixth seeds South Korea who lost 1-2 to China but earned six points from two wins to finish second in Group D.
In the other two ties for the top-eight placings, China will take on India while New Zealand will play Thailand.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei edged Malaysia 2-1 in Group D and will now meet Singapore in the play-offs for 9-16 positions.
Chang Ya-Ting brushed aside Nurin Banilah Roslan 6-1, 6-1 in the first singles while Huang En-Pei overcame Yusri Yus Syazlin 6-3, 7-5 in the second singles.
Chang Ya-Ting and Ma Yi-Chi gave the Malaysians a walkover in the academic doubles as Ma was down with foot blisters, back and leg pains.
Other ties in this draw are Hong Kong vs Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka vs India and Malaysia vs Philippines.
The top four teams from 16-team event will qualify for the grand final of the World Junior Team Tennis Championship in Prostejov, Czech Republic in July.