Taiwan’s hopes of promotion from Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1 were shattered by Japan yesterday in Kuala Lumpur.
Following victories over Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Thailand in Group B, the Taiwanese women faced a play-off match against Group A winners Japan.
Chang Kai-chen got Taiwan off to a good start with a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 defeat of Ayumi Morita in the opening singles match.
PHOTO: EPA
Chan Yung-jan faced a tough match against Kimiko Date-Krumm, and the Japanese came out on top 7-5, 7-5.
It was all down to the doubles pairings and Taiwan’s Chuang Chia-jung and Hsieh Su-wei came up short against Japan’s Ayumi Morita and Rika Fujiwara, who claimed promotion for Japan with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Meanwhile, Anabel Medina Garrigues leveled Spain’s Fed Cup World Group II first-round tie against Australia with a straight sets win over Casey Dellacqua in Adelaide yesterday.
Medina Garrigues, ranked 32, had few problems with the 276th-ranked Dellacqua, winning 6-2, 6-3 in 1 hour, 27 minutes at Memorial Drive.
Australia’s world No. 11, Samantha Stosur, put the host nation ahead after coming from a set down to defeat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.
Stosur posted a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over the 28th-ranked Martinez Sanchez in 2 hours, 9 minutes.
The reverse singles and doubles will be played today.
The winner of the tie progresses to a play-off for elevation to the elite World Group, which has not featured Australia since 2003.
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