Thailand retain Fed Cup status with emphatic win over Philippines
>> Thailand maintained their place in Group 1 of the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone with a 2-0 victory over the Philippines in the relegation playoff yesterday.
Thailand had finished at the bottom of the Pool A standings, while the Philippines were winless in Pool B in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Peangtarn Plipuech set the tone of the match for Thailand when she whipped the Philippines’ Khim Iglupas in straight sets in only 43 minutes.
Experienced world No.278 Peangtarn’s domination of Iglupas was so complete that she didn’t drop a single game en route to the victory.
In the second singles match, Thailand No.1 Luksika Kumkhum, who is ranked 202nd in the world, played some attacking tennis to take the first set 6-2 from world No.548 Katharina Lehnert.
However, Luksika, who lost to Lehnert in the title showdown of the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, conceded the second set 7-5 as her rival hit back.
The deciding third set was a close battle as Luksika and Lehnert carried the score to 3-3.
Luksika then broke Lehnert in the seventh game and regained her touch to end her opponent’s challenge with a 6-3 win that assured Thailand of a place in Group 1 of the Asia/Oceania Zone next year and relegated the Philippines to the lower tier.
Thailand captain Tamarine Tanasugarn said: “I am happy with the form of our players.
“We lost two matches [in Pool A], but we have to admit that we were up against stronger opponents. The SEA Games is coming up for these players. I can see that the Philippines have improved a great deal.”