Tough Fed Cup draw for NZ

New Zealand has been drawn in the same group as top seeds Uzbekistan for the Fed Cup Asia Oceania qualifying tournament in Bahrain.

The draw has the Kiwis alongside Uzbekistan and Lebanon with only the group winners progressing to the semifinals.

The top two teams in the 14-team tournament qualify for Asia Oceania group one for 2019.

Fed Cup captain Neil Carter said ‘‘the draw has made it tough but our girls are ready to deliver’’.

Uzbekistan’s top singles player is Sabina Sharipova, ranked 193, with Nigina Abduraimova ranked 324.

Their third player, Akgul Amanmuradova, is a veteran who was ranked 50 in the world in 2008.

By contrast, Erin Routliffe is New Zealand’s top ranked player at 658. But she did climb more than 100 ranking spots after winning the ITF Futures title in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, at the weekend so is in good form.

Jade Lewis played in Auckland’s ASB Classic last month and spent a week practising with top 100 players and Carter feels she is more than capable of competing and winning.

Carter says the conditions will be a leveller.

‘‘The courts are super quick and the balls are super quick so it’s about who gets to grip with the conditions on the day. There won’t be too many rallies.’’

Routliffe joined the team from Egypt yesterday while Emily Fanning has arrived from America.

Katherine Westbury is the other player in the New Zealand squad.

Carter is pleased the team doesn’t play on day one, and open they open their campaign against minnows Lebanon tonight. The crunch match against Uzbekistan is on tomorrow night.