Fed Cup to conclude today

Manama : Fed Cup, the first of its kind tennis tournament to be held in Bahrain, is set to conclude on Saturday with the promotional play-off round, being played at the Bahrain Tennis Federation (BTF) hard courts in Isa Town. 

Uzbekistan take on Indonesia and Singapore face Pacific Oceania to determine the two nations who advance to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2019. 

On the penultimate day of the tournament, the 5th to 8th play-off and the 9th to 12th play-off rounds took place, where New Zealand thrashed Pakistan 3-0, while the Philippines saw off Oman at the same result too. This was in the 5th to 8th play-off, as in the 9th to 12th play-off Sri Lanka crashed Lebanon 3-0, but Kyrgyzstan had to sweat with Malaysia, scoring a narrow 2-1 win.    

It’s worth noting that 14 teams are taking part in this event.  They have been divided into four pools of play for the first stage of the Cup. At the end of a single round-robin, the winners of each pool will play-off against one another (A1 v C1 and B1 v D1) to determine the two nations who will advance to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2019. The hosts, Bahrain crashed out of the event after suffering two losses in as many games.  

Meanwhile, BTF General Secretary Fouad Al Rowaie expressed his utmost happiness at the organisational success achieved in the tournament to this point, stating that this confirms Bahrain expertise in hosting top sport events. He stated that BTF had received many compliments from the participating delegations for the organisational level of the tournament, pointing out that the High Organising Committee of Fed Cup has been keen from day one to provide all the requirements and necessities to the teams so they can feel at home. Al Rowaie commented on the performances showcased during the tournament, saying that several teams have been outstanding and deserved to progress further in the competition.