Philippines down Bahrain to reach ITF Federation cup final

Manama : Bahrain women’s tennis team lost 2-0 to 48th ranked in the world and top seeds Philippines yesterday in its fourth and final robin-robin match in the ITF Federation Cup in Pool A Asia/Oceania Zone Group 2 on the hard outdoor courts at the True Arena Hua Hin venue in Thailand.

In the opening singles rubber, Khim Iglupas beat Bahrain’s Nazli Nader Redha 6-0, 6-0 and Anna Clarice Patrimonio secured victory for the Philippines in the second rubber with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Maram Mohammed Sharif.

Bahrain accompanied by captain/coach and former Davis Cup player Essam Abdul A’al, conclude its campaign today when they take on Pakistan in the ninth/tenth place play-off to conclude its debut in the Federation Cup.

The win for the Philippines secured top place in Pool A as they finished with four wins from matches and now take on Singapore today who despite losing 2-1 to Kyrgyzstan topped Pool B for promotion to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2017.

In the other Pool A match, Hong Kong were 2-0 winners over Iran, while in Pool B Malaysia won 2-1 against Indonesia and Sri Lanka were 2-0 winners over Pakistan.

The 11 participating teams were split into two pools played on a round -robin basis, with the winners of each pool playing off to determine which nation will be promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2017, with the remaining teams competing in positional play-offs with the exception of the team finishing sixth in Pool B (Kyrgyzstan) which takes place today.

Final standings (matches/wins): Pool A: Philippines (4/4), Hong Kong (4/3), Pacific Oceania (4/2), Iran (4/1), Bahrain (4/0). Pool B: Singapore (5/4), Malaysia (5/4), Indonesia (5/3), Sri Lanka (5/2), Pakistan (5/1), Kyrgyzstan (5/1).

Today’s schedule: Promotion play-off: Philippines vs Singapore.

Play-offs: 3rd-4th: Hong Kong vs Malaysia. 5th-6th: Pacific Oceania vs Indonesia. 7th-8th: Iran vs Sri Lanka. 9th-10th: Bahrain vs Pakistan.