At the 2005 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I Zonal ties in Delhi over the weekend, China won both singles rubbers in straight sets against Australia, as Li Na's replacement, Sun Tian-Tian, fended off Evie Dominikovic, 6-3, 7-5, before world No. 69, Zheng Jie, defeated the 55th-ranked Samantha Stosur, 6-3, 6-4, to establish an unassailable 2-0 lead to send China into July's World Group II Playoffs.

The services of Chinese number one, Li Na, was not even called upon as she was allowed to return to the mainland to arrange for a visa for entry to Europe in preparation for the Estoril Open in Portugal this week where she is the number four seed.

Seven-time Fed Cup winners, Australia, had never lost to China in the premier women's team tennis competition. The Aussies easily defeated China 3-0 in its Fed Cup debut behind Wendy Turnbull in a 1981 World Group second round tie in Japan, and again in 1989 behind Liz Smylie against a Tang Min-led Chinese team in a World Group first rounder.

Before this year, Australia had never been out of the World Group since they joined the competition back in 1963.

China moved up four spots to No. 23 in the latest Fed Cup rankings, while the Aussies dropped one place to No. 19.

After winning all her singles rubbers in Delhi this past week, Li Na became the winningest Fed Cup singles player from China with a 17-3 win-loss record. She made her Fed Cup debut in 1999 in a doubles rubber against Hong Kong in an Asia/Oceania Group I B round robin tie where she partnered Li Ting to defeat Anne Aallonen and Willy Chan, 6-1, 6-3, in a 3-0 win.

However, Australia was missing their top singles player, world No. 8 Alicia Molik, and their doubles lynchpin, Rennae Stubbs, in this year's troubled campaign, with rumours abound regarding Nicole Pratt's public spat with Tennis Australia plastered all over the papers.

Elsewhere, a Sania Mirza-less Indian team defeated a Cho Yoon Jeong-less Korean team, 2-1, to snatch third place in the Asia/Oceania Group II Zonals after Rushmi Chakravarthi and Shikha Uberoi defeated Chang Kyung-Mi and Lee Jin-A in the deciding doubles, 6-3, 6-3.

In a battle to stay afloat in Group I, New Zealand beat Singapore 2-0 and Chinese Taipei likewise against Kazakhstan, to send their respective opponents down to Group II for next year's competition.

Results
Fed Cup 2005 Asia/Oceania Zone Group I
New Delhi, India
20-23 April 2005

Pool A: China, India, Singapore, Kazakhstan.
Pool B: Australia, Korea, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand.

Pool A
20 April
China d. Kazakhstan 3-0
Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Tatyana Ignatchenko (KAZ) 6-2 6-2
Li Na (CHN) d. Mariya Kovaleva (KAZ) 6-0 6-1
Li Ting/Sun Tian-Tian (CHN) d. Mariya Kovaleva/Ekaterina Morozova (KAZ) 6-1 6-2

India d. Singapore 3-0
Ankita Bhambri (IND) d. Lee Wei Ping (SIN) 6-1 7-5
Shikha Uberoi (IND) d. Cassandra Ng Yun-Ling (SIN) 6-0 6-0
Shikha Uberoi/Rushmi Chakravarthi (IND) d. Cassandra Ng Yun-Ling/Ong Shao Fang (SIN) 6-1 6-1

21 April
China d. Singapore 3-0
Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Lee Wei Ping Lee (SIN) 6-1 6-1
Li Na (CHN) d. Ong Shao Fang (SIN) 6-0 6-0
Li Ting/Sun Tian-Tian (CHN) d. Lee Wei Ping Lee/Cassandra Ng Yun-Ling (SIN) 6-0 6-1

India d. Kazakhstan 3-0
Ankita Bhambri d. Ekaterina Morozova (KAZ) 6-0 6-1
Shikha Uberoi (IND) d. Mariya Kovaleva (KAZ) 6-0 6-4
Ankita Bhambri/Shikha Uberoi (IND) d. Mariya Kovaleva/Ekaterina Morozova (KAZ) 6-4 6-4

22 April
China d. India 3-0
Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Rushmi Chakravarthi (IND) 6-3 6-0
Li Na (CHN) d. Shikha Uberoi (IND) 6-1 6-2
Li Ting/Sun Tian-Tian (CHN) d. Ankita Bhambri/Ankita Bhambri 6-2 6-3

Kazakhstan d. Singapore 2-1
Lee Wei Ping (SIN) d. Tatyana Ignatchenko (KAZ) 2-6 6-3 6-4
Mariya Kovaleva (KAZ) d. Ong Shao Fang (SIN) 6-2 6-4
Mariya Kovaleva/Ekaterina Morozova (KAZ) d. Lee Wei Ping Lee/Cassandra Ng Yun-Ling (SIN) 6-2 6-0

Final Positions: 1. China 2. India 3. Kazakhstan 4. Singapore.

Pool B
20 April
Australia d. New Zealand 3-0
Evie Dominikovic (AUS) d. Leanne Baker (NZL) 6-2 6-3
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Marina Erakovic (NZL) 6-4 6-4
Evie Dominikovic/Bryanne Stewart (AUS) d. Marina Erakovic/Paula Marama (NZL) 6-7(7) 6-1 6-4

Korea d. Chinese Taipei 3-0
Lee Ye-Ra (KOR) d. Wang Ting-Wen (TPE) 6-2 6-0
Kim Jin-Hee (KOR) d. Chen Yi (TPE) 6-2 6-1
Chang Kyung-Mi/Lee Jin A-Lee (KOR) d. Chao Hsiao-Han/Lu Yen-Hua (TPE) 6-4 6-1

21 April
Australia d. Chinese Taipei 3-0
Sophie Ferguson (AUS) d. Chao Hsiao-Han (TPE) 6-1 6-2
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Chen Yi (TPE) 6-0 6-2
Samantha Stosur/Bryanne Stewart (AUS) d. Lu Yen-Hua/Wang Ting-Wen (TPE) 6-1 6-3

Korea d. New Zealand 2-1
Lee Ye-Ra (KOR) d. Leanne Baker (NZL) 6-4 3-6 6-4
Marina Erakovic (NZL) d. Kim Jin-Hee (KOR) 6-1 6-4
Chang Kyung-Mi/Kim Jin-Hee (KOR) d. Eden Marama/Paula Marama (NZL) 2-6 6-3 7-5

22 April
Australia d. Korea 2-1
Evie Dominikovic (AUS) d. Lee Ye-Ra (KOR) 6-0 4-6 6-3
Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Kim Jin-Hee (KOR) 6-3 7-5
Chang Kyung-Mi/Lee Jin-A (KOR) d. Sophie Ferguson /Bryanne Stewart (AUS) 7-5 7-6(4)

New Zealand d. Chinese Taipei 3-0
Paula Marama (NZL) d. Lu Yen-Hua (TPE) 6-3 6-2
Marina Erakovic (NZL) d. Chen Yi (TPE) 6-2 6-3
Eden Marama/Leanne Baker (NZL) d. Wang Ting-Wen/Chao Hsiao-Han (TPE) 6-0 6-4

Final Positions: 1. Australia 2. Korea 3. New Zealand 4. Chinese Taipei

Asia/Oceania Group I - Playoff
China d. Australia 2-0
R1 - Sun Tian-Tian (CHN) d. Evie Dominikovic (AUS) 6-3 7-5
R2 - Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-3 6-4
R3 - Doubles (DNP)

* China progresses to World Group II Playoffs in July 2005

Facts & Figures
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