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Sunday, May 14, 2006

HK places fourth overall at Jr Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Qualifying
By Andy Yanne @ 7:14 PM :: 683 Views ::

After a come-from-behind win over second-seeded Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals earlier on Thursday, the Hong Kong Jr Fed Cup team unfortunately went down against No. 3 seed China and No. 2 Japan in the ensuing semifinals and third place playoff respectively to finish in fourth position overall at the 2006 Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Asia/Oceania Qualifying in Bangkok. However, by virtue of having reached the final four, the trio of Jessica Yang, Geraldine Leong, and Sher Chun Wing had already secured the territory a spot at the September JFC World Finals in Barcelona for the second successive year.

The other three teams to book their rightful place in Spain were Australia, China, and Japan.

Last year, behind the one-two punch of Zhang Ling and Venise Chan, the Hong Kong contingent came third at the Regional Qualifying to book Hong Kong's first-ever passage to the World Finals since the event was inaugurated back in 1985.

Yesterday's third to fourth place playoff saw fourth-seeded Japan defeat a injury depleted and simply exhausted Hong Kong team, with Sher Chun Wing having to take Jessica Yang's place in the starting line-up.

HKTA Head Coach, Benny Lin, who is also doubling as the HK Junior Fed Cup Team Captain, reports from Thailand: "Geraldine was over-exhausted, both physically and mentally. She couldn't finish her match as she was simply fatigued, and of course the extreme heat didn't help either. Having said that, she gave everything she had for the past 5 days and today she was simply running on empty, and had nothing else to give. I couldn't ask for anything more from Geraldine because she had given everything to this team."

In the semifinals, Sher Chun Wing at number two singles lost to China's world No. 149 Zhou Yi-Miao, 6-2, 6-1, while Geraldine Leong, currently ranked at No. 805, fought world No. 177 Guo Xuan-Yu toe-to-toe for over three hours before succumbing in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

"With Yang Zi-Jun sidelined due to injury, Geraldine and Sher Chun Wing did not disappoint. Although they lost, they both played a good match and are definitely commended for their fighting spirit. China, who came with their full-time players and members of their National Team (Division III), was just a more experienced team. I felt our girls are not too far behind…they just lack international experience. The Captain of the Chinese team told me that these girls had been training in Germany and Australia for almost a year now, and they are planning to spend an extra three months in Spain to prepare for the World Finals," said Benny.

Against the heavily favoured second-seeded Uzbek team, which was spearheaded by the highest-ranked player at these Regionals – world No. 39 Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva – the territory came from a set down at both number one singles and the deciding doubles to cause the upset of the week. Jessica Yang dropped the opening set under blistering heat, 7-5, to Saidkhodjaeva but outdistanced the Uzbek No. 1, 6-0, 6-2, in the next two sets as her opponent was finding it impossible to cope with the scorching sun.

In the do-or-die doubles, ITFtennis.com reported: "With Geraldine Leong being forced to play almost every ball for the underdogs in the final set it seemed only a matter of time before she would tire but at the very end she hit two tremendous passing shots to help her team break serve and win the deciding set 6-4."

It was all the more amazing as Benny's pre-departure assessment was that doubles would be the Hong Kong team's weakest link, since Jessica and Geraldine had seen almost no action together as a tandem.

Before leaving for Thailand, the Head Coach had this to say: "I think we have a fair chance to qualify again this year. Really depending on our No. 2 singles. Last year we had Venise playing at the two spot and she won all her singles matches. This year will be no different. I think Jessica is very strong in Asia for the U16 age group and she most probably will win her matches. So I think the No. 2 singles will be the deciding factor for us. Geraldine and Sher Chun Wing, however, are capable of winning at No. 2. Doubles can play a major role, but Jessica has had very little opportunity to partner either Geraldine or Sher Chun Wing in competitive matches so we probably can't depend on it too much."

The World Finals for the 2006 Junior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas will take place in Barcelona, Spain, from September 26 to October 1. The format of the finals will be round robin, followed by a knockout stage, to place all teams from 1st – 16th positions.

Spain, as host nation, is automatically accorded a spot in the Finals for both the JDC and JFC teams.

In addition, the ITF has secured a sponsorship deal with Lufthansa German Airlines, making it the "Official Airline of the ITF Junior Team Competitions". The ITF will provide each nation who has qualified for the Finals with tickets for its team members, i.e., one non-playing captain and three players.

The 2003 team of Kathy Lo, Anthea Look, and Melda Tsang placed ninth after defeating the Philippines in the positional playoffs, while in 2002 the Hong Kong Jr Fed Cup team of Joanne Cheung, Kathy Lo, and Evelina Leung placed 12th overall at the Asia/Oceania Qualifying in Jakarta.

The 2001 NEC World Youth Cup team of Joanne Cheung, Yiu Wai Man, and Kathy Lo placed 12th overall at the Regional Qualifying in Jakarta after going down against New Zealand, 2-1. That year, notable competitors in Jakarta included India's Sania Mirza, plus Taiwan's Chan Chin-Wei and Chuang Chia-Jung.

See past Junior Fed Cup Winners.