Date:07/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/07/stories/2008050761072200.htm

Sport - Tennis

Indian girls qualify

NEW DELHI: The Indian girls won their matches 3-0 each against Malaysia and Kazakhstan to ensure a place for the team in the knock-out stage from group ‘C’ in the Asia-Oceania Junior Fed Cup under-16 tennis tournament in Bangkok.

Rishika Sunkara and Rashmi Teltumbe dropped only 10 games in all in winning four singles matches, to underline the Indian supremacy, in the first two ties of the league. Fifth seed India will take on the third-seeded Australia in the last league match on Wednesday to decide the group topper.

The top-seeded Uzbekistan, Thailand, China, Japan and Chinese Taipei are the other teams that have ensured their berths in the knock-out stage, apart from Australia and India. Korea is likely to be the other team to qualify along with Uzbekistan from group ‘A’.

The results: India bt Malaysia 3-0 (Rishika Sunkara bt Adeilie Boey 6-1, 6-1; Rashmi Teltumbe bt Huey-Teng Sia 6-0, 6-2; Ratnika Batra and Rishika bt Sia and Sieu Minn Toi 6-0, 6-4).

India bt Kazakhstan 3-0 (Rishika Sunkara bt Natalya Berezhnaya 6-4, 6-1; Rashmi Teltumbe bt Kamila Rafkat 6-1, 6-0; Ratnika Batra and Rishika bt Natalya and Kamila 6-1, 1-6, 6-0).