Carol to play in Fed Cup, again

Carol Lee trades shots with brother Sean during a training session at the Kanoa Resort last month. She is now in Fiji, preparing for next month’s 2018 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II in Bahrain. (Roselyn B. Monroyo)

For the second straight year, the CNMI’s Carol Lee earned a spot on the Pacific Oceania Team that will compete in the 2018 Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group II in Isa Town, Bahrain next month.

Pacific Oceania’s lineup for the Fed Cup was announced early this year with Lee teaming up with Papua New Guinea’s Abigail Tere-Apisah and Samoa’s Steffi Carruthers. Tahiti’s Gilles de Gouy will be the team’s non-playing captain.

“I am back in Fiji and will train here for the Fed Cup,” said Lee in a message sent to Saipan Tribune last week after her two tournaments in Australia.

The Fed Cup will run from Feb. 6 to 10 and Pacific Oceania is one of the 16 teams vying for the promotional slot to Group I. Other countries entered in the tournament are Top 4 seeds (based on Nov. 13 rankings) Uzbekistan (No. 33), Philippines (No. 48), Malaysia (55), and Indonesia, which lead Pool A, B, C, and D, respectively. Completing the roster are No. 58 Singapore, No. 66 Sri Lanka, No. 71 New Zealand, No. 80 Iran, No. 83 Pakistan, No. 89 Kyrgyzstan, No. 101 Bahrain and unranked Lebanon and Oman. Draws for other members of the four pools will be held on Feb. 5.

Pacific Oceania is ranked No. 61 and remained in Group II after placing fifth among the 12 countries that participated in last year’s tournament at the Dushanbe Central Stadium in Tajikistan. Hong Kong ruled the competition after beating Uzbekistan in the finals, 2-1, and was promoted to Group I to join Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, and India.

Lee, during her Fed Cup debut, won three matches. She prevailed in her first match as the CNMI player teamed up with New Caledonia’s Mayka Zima in pulling off a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Iran’s Ghazal Pakbaten and Sadaf Sadeghvaziri. Then in the last day of the competition, the 16-year-old went 2-for-2. She stepped up in absence of Carruthers to play her first singles and won over Singapore’s Lynelle En Tong Lim, 6-0, 6-4. Then in the doubles, Lee partnered anew with Zima and they outclassed Angela Shan Min Lim and Charmaine Seah, 6-1, 5-7, 6-0, to hand Pacific Oceania the fifth place finish, tying New Zealand.

Lee is training for her second Fed Cup appearance after competing in two events in Australia this year. She first joined the AGL Loy Yang Traralgon Junior International G1 and then the qualifying tournament for the 2018 Australian Open (Juniors) in Melbourne. She lost her opening matches in both competitions, but kept her head up high as she was able to challenge some top players in the world and even managed to win a set against her opponent in the qualifier.

“During the 10 days I was in Australia, I practiced and hit with other players. There were players there who have ITF rankings and they challenged me to give my best,” Lee said.

World No. 178 Lee was pitted against Italy’s Lisa Piccinetti in the Australian Open qualifier and stunned her higher-ranked foe (No. 118 and was ranked as high as No.99) in the first set, 6-3. The Italian then managed to avoid Lee’s upset axe by winning the last two sets, 6-1, 6-0.

“I played better in the qualifier and will continue to work hard and improve my game in Fiji as a prepare for the Fed Cup,” Lee said.