Hong Kong faces uphill task in Fed Cup Group One showdown in Guangzhou
Many of the Asian teams can boast top-100 players for the event
Hong Kong will have their hands full as they face the cream of Asian tennis on their return to the top flight in the Federation Cup Asia/Oceania Group One competition in Guangzhou this week.
A four-strong team made up of Zhang Ling, Tiffany Wu Ho-ching, Maggie Ng Man-ying and Jennifer Sher left on Monday for Guangzhou for the women's equivalent of the Davis Cup, which begins on Wednesday.
It will be Ng's first appearance in Fed Cup competition.
This Hong Kong squad has shown a tendency to punch above their weight and I believe we will be in for a competitive week
"On paper we will be facing an uphill battle as many nations have multiple top 100 players while we have none," said Hong Kong captain Phillip King.
Hong Kong's highest-ranked player is Zhang who is 205th on the WTA singles rankings with Wu the next best on 624.
"In addition, three of our members are studying and not full-time pros. However this Hong Kong squad has shown a tendency to punch above their weight and I believe - if we can execute our game plans - we will be in for a competitive week," King said.
Hong Kong is drawn with top seeds Japan, Uzbekistan and South Korea in a tough pool A. The other pool comprises second seeds Thailand, Kazakhstan, Taiwan and China whose challenge will be spearheaded by Peng Shuai.