Sania, Shikha to play opening singles

New Delhi: Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi will launch India's Fed Cup campaign in the Asia-Oceania zonal qualifying tie in Seoul, Korea, starting on Wednesday.

India takes on Philippines in its opening match and follows it up with matches against Chinese Taipei on Thursday and New Zealand on Friday in Pool `B'. Against Philippines, world number 180 Shikha Uberoi will play the opening singles against 16-year old Denise Dy, ranked 1,112. Sania, India's number one player with a world ranking of 40, faces the 673rd ranked Czarina-Mae Arevalo in the second singles.

Match practice

Coach and captain Enrico Piperno said he chose to play Sania, who is carrying injuries to her wrist and elbow in the serving arm besides an hyperextension of the lower back, so as to give her some valuable match practice ahead of the crucial encounter against Chinese Taipei.

"Ideally I would have liked not to play Sania against Philippines, but she has not played a match in the last 10 days," Piperno told PTI from Seoul. "Thursday's tie against Chinese Taipei is the key because they have two top-200 players. So I told Sania that it would be better for her to get some match practice."

Host Korea, Australia and Uzbekistan make up Pool `A'. The best teams from the two pools will play in the final on Saturday, the winner of which qualifies for the World Group 2 play-off in July this year.The 19-year-old Sania had said before leaving for Korea that she was playing against doctor's advice because she had missed the action last year due to an ankle injury, and would opt out only if the pain in her back was unbearable.

Absolutely fine

"She (Sania) is absolutely fine. She is feeling no pain. Her wrist is a bit sore, but that is not a major concern," the captain said.

Piperno said he would play Ankita Bhambri and Isha Lakhani in the doubles if the tie (against Philippines) was already decided.

The team reached Seoul on Monday and had had two vigorous practice sessions so far, he said. "It has been windy and cold out here. Shikha had arrived here five days ago and she has had some solid practice," Piperno said.