China delighted with World Group place

BRUSSELS: Olympic doubles champion Sun Tiantian and Yan Zi helped clinch China's place in the 2008 Fed Cup World Group as its team enjoyed a 4-1 win over Belgium in Knokke-Heist on Sunday.

Sun scored her second straight sets victory of the weekend, overcoming Yanina Wickmayer 6-4, 6-3 before Yan won a marathon contest against 14-year-old Tamaryn Hendler 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 8-6.

"Next year we hope we will have an even stronger team and compete in group one because we were disappointed to lose to Italy in April, which meant we had to face a play-off," said Sun.

"This is a tough year for us as some of our best players are out with injuries. I am happy to see the team overcome the challenges."

Ji Chunmei and Sun Shengnan then saw off Debbrich Feys and Aude Vermoezen 6-2, 6-1 in the doubles as China made sure of its place in the elite group for next year after making its historic breakthrough last year.

However, Yan was given a scare by14-year-old Hendler who put on a superb display against Yan coming within a game of levelling the tie at 2-2 when she led 6-5 in the third set against the world 171.

But Yan broke for 7-6 and despite Hendler's determination to chase down every ball, the Chinese served the match out to love to seal Belgium's fate, and relegation to World Group II.

Notable absentees

The 2006 Fed Cup runner-up struggled this year due to its notable absentees. Injury to Kirsten Flipkens coupled with the pullout of Kim Clijsters and Justin Henin meant the team had an average age of just seventeen and only two Fed Cup appearances between them.

Team captain Sabine Appelmans always knew it would be an uphill struggle.

"We dropped out of the World Group and of course it's a disappointment, but it was the youngest team ever so we didn't expect really to win here, but we have to look towards the future and see if we can make the World Group again next year".

But its teenagers have displayed some good performance.

Wickmayer pulled off a shock victory over Ya, a player ranked more than 220 places above her. With that significant victory under her belt, Wickmayer is hoping it will give her momentum for the future.

"I've learnt that my level is growing and that I'm playing better every day. I'm learning ever day and I'm going to work harder and get better'.

Her teammate Hendler who has a junior ranking of 20, announced her arrival in Fed Cup with in her dazzling defeat to Yan, and she is not prepared to let the negative result knock her confidence.

"I always believed I could win throughout the whole match even down three-love in the first set. And I always say if you don't think you can win you shouldn't be on the court so I just kept taking it one point at a time," she said.

AFP

(China Daily 07/17/2007 page24)