“I think Ankita can break through to top 100 this year if she stays healthy and keeps playing the way she has played this week,” said Uppal.
Ankita Raina played strong but India slipped to a 1-2 defeat to Korea in the match for the third place in the Fed Cup Asia Oceania group-1 women’s tennis tournament here on Saturday.
India’s aspirations to at least finish third among the seven teams suffered a jolt as Karman Kaur Thandi could not play owing to a leg injury.
Two-time national champion Mahak Jain did fight for three sets in the first singles, and Ankita equalised by winning her singles 6-3, 6-3.
However in the decisive doubles, the Koreans beat Ankita and Prarthana Thombare 6-4, 6-4.
“We could have won the tie,” said captain Vishaal Uppal, quite satisfied by the fighting performance of the team.
Host Kazakhstan won the competition, beating China 2-1 in the final, and qualified for World Group-2 play-off.
Indonesia beat Thailand 2-1 and pushed it to group-2 in the relegation play off between the two third placed teams in the two groups. Pacific Oceania had already been relegated to group-2 as it had finished fourth in the four-team group.
The results (third place):
Korea bt India 2-1 (Kim Na Ri bt Mahak Jain 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Jeong Sunam lost to Ankita Raina 3-6, 3-6; Kim & Jang Su Jeong bt Ankita & Prarthana Thombare 6-4, 6-4).
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