Fed Cup captain Phillip King says more full-time players needed after team lose all matches
Hong Kong need more full-time players on the women's professional circuit if they are to consistently challenge the best in Asia, lamented Fed Cup captain Phillip King after his team were relegated to group two in the Asia/ Oceania Zone
Hong Kong need more full-time players on the women's professional circuit if they are to consistently challenge the best in Asia, lamented Fed Cup captain Phillip King after his team were relegated to group two in the Asia/ Oceania Zone.
Hong Kong were swamped by Asian powerhouses Japan, South Korea and Uzbekistan in group play, losing each tie 3-0, before going down 2-1 to Taiwan in the relegation play-off at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Centre.
Despite the heavy losses, King was encouraged by the spirit shown by the team comprising Lynn Zhang Ling, Tiffany Wu Ho-ching, Maggie Ng Man-ying and Jennifer Sher Chun-wing.
We played in group one after a very long time and this in itself is an achievement. But there are several steps we have to take
"We had some close matches, especially Zhang who lost two of her singles in three sets. She is our only full-time player and it proves how invaluable it is playing full-time on the circuit," King said.
"We need more players like this. It is hard for part-time players to beat full-time players. The teams had some of the best in Asia, China for instance featuring Peng Shuai, who has been to a grand slam semi-final, and they were in a different class.
"But in terms of experience, this tournament was a good learning experience for our younger players," King added.
Zhang, 25, is the highest-ranked local player having a WTA ranking of 204. But even she was overshadowed by the Taiwanese, one of the weaker teams in the eight-team group one competition, which was won by Japan who will advance to the world group two play-offs. Zhang came up against Taiwanese Hsieh Su-wei, ranked 152, in the relegation play-off and lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
"We played in group one after a very long time and this in itself is an achievement. But there are several steps we have to take.
"The first one we did with our girls now having seen what the standard is. The second step is to keep up with the opposition and the third step is to overtake them.
"We still have some way to go to take these next two steps but it will be easier if our girls play more on the circuit," King said.
