Fed Cup: Prarthana, Ankita put India in final

HYDERABAD: Indian girls looked unstoppable as they sailed into the promotional playoff finals with effortless ease at the BNP Paribas Fed Cup Asia-Oceania Group II tournament on Friday.
After snuffing out easier opponents on the first two days and leaving nothing for the doubles team, Prarthana Thombare and Ankita Raina continued in the same vein as they reeled off straight set victories to pummel Turkmenistan 2-0.Their dominant display meant there was no need for the doubles combination to take to the court.
Prarthana was in full flow as she outlasted Jahana Bayramova 6-0, 6-2. Jahana commited too many unforced errors and made things easy for the Indian. She served badly and never settled down.
It was no different in the second game. Though she held her serve once and broke Prarthana in the sixth, it was only because the Indian took it easy as she was up 5-0.
Delighted with her victory Prarthana said, "I am very happy to win for the third consecutive day. It was not as easy as the scoreline suggests. I know Bayramova is a good player but I had a game plan for her. I focused on putting the ball in court and waited for her to make mistakes. Thankfully, this ploy worked. Moreover, the guidance we received from Saina helped us a lot," Prarthana said.
Ankita, who lost one set on Thursday, looked a bit nervous at the start but she got better with every point as she drubbed Anastasiya Prenko 6-1, 6-2.
Ankita returned well and secured several winners with her ferocious forehand. She displayed her strong net play and brought the crowd to the edge of their seats with some delightful drops.
"It is a great feeling to progress into the finals. We are confident of winning the final and getting promoted to Group I tomorrow. After the tough match yesterday, it's good to win in straight games.
I concentrated on not making the same mistakes I made on Thursday. My opponent gave me a tough time but I kept motivating myself," said Ankita, adding that this is her best victory in this tournament.
In the final on Saturday, India will face the winners of the rubber between Philippines and Indonesia. Saturday's winner will be promoted to Group I.Results: India bt Turkmenistan 2-0 (Prarthana Thombare bt Jahana Bayramova 6-0, 6-2; Ankita Raina bt Anastasiya Prenko 6-1, 6-2).