Lee perfect in Junior Fed Cup

Carol Lee, seen here competing in a local tournament last year, is unbeaten in the 2017 Junior Fed Cup Asia Oceania Pre-Qualifying Zone going into today’s playoff round in New Delhi, India. (Contributed Photo)

Carol Lee and her Pacific Oceania Team are still undefeated in the 2017 Junior Fed Cup Asia Oceania Pre-Qualifying Zone.

Lee, who handed Pacific Oceania victories in the singles and doubles (with Samoa’s Eleanor Schuster) against the Philippines last Monday, dominated Tajikistan’s Anastasiya Tursunova in the Singles 1 play last Tuesday, 6-0, 6-3, to seal the early win for her team. Tahiti’s Naia Guitton earlier downed Nargizakhon Yakhyaeva in the Singles 2, 6-1, 6-0, to give Pacific Oceania the upper hand. Guitton also played in the doubles with Schuster and they beat the Tajikistan duo, 6-4, 6-0, for Pacific Oceanic’s second sweep in Pool A.

The three junior players went on to earn a perfect record in pool play as they also swept the then unscathed Vietnam in yesterday’s matches at the R.K Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi, India. Guitton again played in the Singles 1 and outclassed Thuy Thanh Truc, 6-3, 6-3. In the Singles 2, Lee went up, 3-0, just 15 minutes into her game against Ngoc Minh Phuong Nguyen and cruised to victory after the Vietnamese retired due to an injury. Lee’s team then automatically won the lone doubles game, as Nguyen failed to recover and play the last match.

With the sweep and its first place finish in Pool A, Pacific Oceania advanced to the playoffs and will face Pool B second placer Singapore in the semis. Singapore won over Lebanon and Iraq, but missed the top spot in the pool when it fell to Sri Lanka. A victory over Singapore will ensure Lee and company a ticket to the final qualifying as only the Top 2 teams in the pre-qualifier will advance to the April tournament, which will also take place in India.

The Lee-led Pacific Oceania made it to the final qualifying tournament last year, but finished at No. 15 out of 16 teams, forcing the squad to play in the pre-qualifying event.

Meanwhile, Pacific Oceania is out of the playoffs in the Junior Davis Cup after losing to Jordan yesterday.

Vanuatu’s Clement Mainguy and Tahiti’s Jeremy Guines dropped both their singles matches, bowing to Abedallah Shelbayh, 5-7, 4-6, and Karam Hatamleh, 3-6, 2-6. Results of the doubles play were unavailable at press time.

The CNMI’s Robbie Schorr did not play against Jordan after he and Mainguy fell to Vietnam’s Van Phuong Nguyen and Duc Phu Pham last Monday in Pool B, 1-6, 3-6.

Only the Top 2 squads in each of the four pools will move into the playoffs and with its 0-2 record, Schorr and his two other teammates will be relegated to the games that will determine the No. 9 to No. 14 finishers in the pre-qualifier.