Indonesia tops preliminary Fed Cup group

Indonesia tops preliminary Fed Cup group

Associated Press New Delhi

Second-seeded Indonesia topped its preliminary pool in the women's Fed Cup Asia-Pacific tennis competition, defeating third- ranked South Korea 2-1 on Friday to complete its league play with four straight wins.

Indonesia rallied after losing the opening singles to dash South Korea's hopes of advancing to the knockout round as host India took second place in Pool B standings.

Kim Jin-hee gave South Korea a winning start with a 6-3, 6-1 demolition of Sandy Gumulya in the first singles, but Indonesia's Wynne Prakusya held her nerve to carve a 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-4 triumph over Jeon Mi-ra.

Angelique Widjaja and Wynne Prakusya then sealed the Indonesian victory, prevailing 6-3, 7-5 against Cho Yoon-jeong and Chang Kyung-mi.

Down by a break at 4-5 in the second set, Widjaja and Prakusya effected two breaks to claim three consecutive points and clinch the match.

Pool B topper Indonesia will take on fourth-seeded New Zealand, while India will meet Pool A topper and top-ranked Thailand in the next round Saturday.

The winners of both of these matches will advance to the World Group qualifying playoffs.

India also recovered from a defeat in its first singles against Uzbekistan to prevail 2-1, but had to wait for the result of the Indonesia-South Korea match to know if it would stay in contention for a place in the World Group qualifying playoffs.

Uzbekistan's Ivanna Isroilova ended the winning streak of India No. 2 Ankita Bhambri by prevailing 6-4, 6-4 in the opening singles. Bhambri had giving India a winning start in all three previous preliminary league matches, but faltered against the deep-serving Isroilova.

Sania Mirza pulled India back with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Akgul Amanmuradova to set up the decisive doubles. Mirza paired up with Manisha Malhotra to clinch the doubles 7-6 (19), 6-1 against Isroilova and Vlada Ekshibarova, who wilted in the second set after losing an intense tiebreaker in the first.

Last year, Japan and Indonesia made it to the World Group qualifying playoffs from the Asia-Pacific Zone.

Japan went on to make the 2004 World Group, but Indonesia lost the playoff and reverted back to Asia-Oceania Zone's Group 1. South Korea paid a heavy cost for its 2-1 loss to India, but remained in the fray until Friday.