Asia/Oceania Zone Group II 2010 Venue: National Tennis Centre, Jelan Duta, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Surface: Hardcourt Date: Feb 3-6, 2010   Nations(7): Hong Kong China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Syria Format: Round-Robin (one pool of 4 teams and one pool of 3) HKG Fed Cup Team: Zhang Ling, Jessica Yang, Polly Lam, Wu Ho Ching, Captain Venant Shum, Coach Rob Derix

Asia/Oceania Zone Group II 2009 Venue: State Tennis Center, Perth, Australia Surface: Outdoor hardcourts Date: February 3-7, 2009 Nations: Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Iran Format: Round-Robin (4 teams play in one pool) Kazakhstan placed first following the round robins and was thus promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2010. Hong Kong, Singapore, and Iran, who came in second, third and fourth respectively, will remain in Group II for 2010.

Background The Fed Cup (called the Federation Cup until 1995) was launched in 1963 to coincide with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation. The competition met with resounding success and became – for both players and spectators – one of the foremost international tennis events. The pinnacle of the Fed Cup is to win the World Group, which is contested by the top 8 nations annually. Unlike traditional powerhouses such as USA, Spain, or Russia, less developed nations such as Hong Kong have to contend with Zonal qualification each year in an attempt to gain promotion to higher company the following year (See Fed Cup structure). In 1981, Hong Kong was a participating nation in the Fed Cup for the first time when the team of Mrs. Ling Tsui Yuen Yuen, Nancy Spelman, and teenager Patricia Hy, took on the Netherlands in the World Group first round and then Yugoslavia in the consolation round. Hong Kong's finest showing in Fed Cup was undoubtedly that of 1987 behind the one-two punch of Patricia Hy and Paulette Moreno. After a game performance against West Germany in the first round where Patricia Hy took the opening set off the mighty Steffi Graf before going down, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, the HK duo then led the territory to consecutive victories against Finland, Belgium, Brazil, and Sweden in the consolation rounds before finally getting upended by the Netherlands in the consolation final that came down to the deciding doubles. Results-wise, Hong Kong's best Fed Cup performance to date was reaching the last sixteen in the World Group in 1982 and 1990. In fact, Hong Kong had remained a World Group nation from 1981 until 1991, when a consolation round loss to Korea ended in relegation to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I. Today, the territory is still on its quest to reclaim its World Group status. Since the change of format in 1995, Hong Kong's best performance was finishing equal 3rd in Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 1995 by a team comprised of Paulette Moreno, Willy Chan, and Jacklyn Fu. See also: Hong Kong Fed Cup All Time Records (1981 - 2008) Hong Kong Fed Cup Results (1981 - 2008) Hong Kong Fed Cup Team Statistics

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