Captain Conlan Makes History For Ireland While Cuba And Russia Claim Double Gold On First Day Of AIBA World Championship Finals

Wednesday night was finals night in Doha, and confirmation of the first five World Champions at light flyweight, bantamweight, light welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight at a packed Ali Bin Hamad Ali Attiyah Arena.

Russia’s WSB southpaw Vasilii Egorov faced off against fleet-footed Cuban Joahnys Argilagos in the opening bout. Argilagos’ greater agility proved decisive in all three rounds, the Cuban becoming the first World Champion of 2015.

Murodjon Akhmadaliev was immediately on the front foot against Michael Conlan, but the Irish captain responded well in the second round and despite hitting the canvas in the third, he had already done enough to win the bout and become Ireland’s first-ever World Champion.

“I came out for the gold medal and I got it, I’m absolutely delighted, thrilled. I would like to thank my coaches and my family and everyone for the tremendous support here all week, the supporters were fantastic. I knew he was going to be tough and that’s the way it turned out. I’ll be going to Rio as the world champion. I’ll have to wait for that to sink in,” said a delighted Conlan afterwards.

Russia’s Vitaly Dunaytsev did just enough in the edgy opening rounds against Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov to take the light welterweight gold medal, the reigning European Champion adding World Champion title to an impressive season.

Previously unbeaten Bektemir Melikuziev’s counter-attacking style had taken him all the way to Wednesday’s middleweight final against Arlen Lopez. The Cuban didn’t give his Uzbek opponent any opportunities to score enough meaningful punches in the first two rounds, however, and despite a late rally, it was Lopez who took the World Champion title.

Erislandy Savon relied heavily on his strong counter punches against Russian Evgeny Tishchenko in the opening round of the heavyweight final. Tishchenko’s front-foot attack gave him the advantage, before the Cuban came back strongly in round two. It wasn’t to be Savon’s night, however, as the Russian prevented a Havana hat-trick of golds to take the title.

Earlier in the session, box-offs between four bronze medalists saw Olympic qualification move a huge step closer for Belarusian bantamweight Dzmitry Asanau and Egypt’s middleweight Hosam Abdin, while Wuttichai Masuk was awarded a walkover, with Cuban Yasniel Toledo unable to box for medical reasons.

Ireland’s Conlan reaches bantamweight final as Cuba, Russia and Uzbekistan dominate…,#AIBAWorlds2015

Rogen Ladon’s remarkable World Championship campaign finally came to an end on Sunday night as Russia, Uzbekistan and Cuba saw three boxers go through to Wednesday’s finals.

Ladon lost an incredibly close opening contest with fellow southpaw Vasilii Egorov, who will now face Joahnys Argilagos in the light flyweight final after the Cuban defeated Ukraine’s Dmytro Zamotaev.

Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev got through a bruising but brilliant encounter with India’s Shiva Thapa, followed by an equally engrossing bout between Ireland’s Michael Conlan and Belarusian Dzmitry Asanau. The two well-matched boxers playing their part in another exquisite semi-final, with Conlan’s greater mobility and swift counters taking him through to meet the Akhmadaliev.

Ireland’s Conlan reaches bantamweight final as Cuba, Russia and Uzbekistan dominate on first night of semis

“I’m really looking forward to the final now. The lads told me I needed to win the third round and I was confident. I kept my cool and held by patience, I didn’t panic. I just knew I had to keep to my game plan because he [Asanau] was going to fold – he’s only a young lad,” said Conlan after the bout.

The middleweight battle between Arlen Lopez and Egypt’s Hosam Abdin was decided by the Cuban’s more accurate punching, underlining his value to a team he only joined in 2014. Michael O’Reilly’s highly anticipated bout against Bektemir Melikuziev lived up to the billing, with remarkable agility from both corners providing the standout match of the day that the Uzbekistan boxer edged.

In the heavyweight category, Cuba’s WSB giant Erislandy Savon looked every bit the world beater against Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdulllayev, but he will have his work cut out to defeat the statuesque Evgeny Tishchenko and claim gold on Wednesday. The efficient Russian was ruthless against Ukrainian Gevorg Manukian in the final bout of the evening, and now has 48 hours to recover ahead of the gold-medal match.

Watch all the second semi-final action unfold live from 5.30pm (CET) on Monday
http://www.aiba.org

#AIBAWorlds2015

Three More Golds For Kudryavtseva At Rhythmic Gymnastics Worlds

2013 and 2014 World champion Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) pocketed another three gold medals during the second night of individual apparatus finals at the 2015 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Stuttgart (GER).

Seventeen-year-old Kudryavtseva, who successfully defended her World title with the Ball Tuesday night, added World titles with the Clubs and Ribbon Thursday, as well as an additional gold in the team competition, in the company of her countrywomen Margarita Mamun and Aleksandra Soldatova.

Despite a slight leg injury that kept her out of the Hoop competition here in Stuttgart, the 17-year-old Muscovite has been nothing less than dominant since the Championships began. With the Clubs, she was flawless, scoring 19.066 points to take her third consecutive World title with the apparatus.

Soldatova, who outscored Mamun to qualify for the Clubs final, took a distant silver (18.583), her second of these Championships.

The last competitor to perform with the Ribbon, Kudryavtseva appeared to improvise slightly at the end of her routine after failing to catch the Ribbon’s wand following a throw. Her score, 18.866, was still enough to edge Mamun (18.850), the 2014 World champion with the Ribbon, due to a superior execution score.

Yana Kudryavtseva, Russia

Ukraine’s Ganna Rizatdinova won bronze with both Clubs (18.566) and Ribbon (18.383), just as she did Tuesday with the Hoop, giving the 22-year-old three individual bronze medals so far in Stuttgart.

The Russian trio of Kudryavtseva, Mamun and Soldatova also finished 1-2-3 in qualifications, giving the Russians the World team title, the total of the eight best scores obtained by a country’s gymnasts. With 149.990 points, Russia finished more than eight points ahead of Belarus and Ukraine.

The 2015 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships continues with the individual All-around final Friday night. Kudryavtseva, the top qualifier, is a favorite to win her third consecutive World All-around title.

Yana Kudryavtseva and Margarita Mamun (RUS) Take First Two Titles At Rhythmic Gymnastics Worlds

Russia struck quickly as finals at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships began Tuesday night in Stuttgart (GER). Superstar Yana Kudryavtseva won the World title with the Ball for the second consecutive year, while teammate Margarita Mamun took gold with the Hoop.

Seventeen-year-old Kudryavtseva, the undisputed queen of Rhythmic Gymnastics for the past two years, continued the domination she showed at the 2013 and 2014 Worlds. In spite of a slight mishap on a catch with the Ball, the judges awarded the “Angel with Iron Wings” the highest note of the evening on either apparatus (19.025 points).

That score put her a hair over Mamun, 20, who had to settle for silver by a margin of only 0.025 (19.000). Veteran Melitina Staniouta (BLR) won bronze for the second year in a row (18.350).

Kudryavtseva, who has won the World All-around title at the past two World Championships, chose to sit out the Hoop competition this year to keep from aggravating a leg injury. That left the field open for her Russian teammates, Mamun and rising star Aleksandra Soldatova, 17.

With the highest scores in both difficulty and execution (18.950 points total), Mamun was the big winner in the Hoop final, pocketing her sixth World title and first with the Hoop.

Yana Kudryavtseva at Rhythmic Gymnastics Worlds

In her first-ever individual World final, Soldatova won the silver (18.650), a few tenths ahead of Ganna Rizatdinova (UKR), who won the World title with the Hoop in 2013 (18.583).
Russia ended the first day of finals with four medals, two gold and two silver.

The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships continue Wednesday with the first day of qualifications with the Clubs and Ribbon. Finals for both apparatus will be held Thursday evening.

Voting Opens For Latest Fed Cup Heart Award

The ITF has announced a shortlist of four players to receive the latest Fed Cup Heart Award of 2015. The ITF has reintroduced the award for players competing in the World Group and World Group II play-offs in April.

Victoria Azarenka (BLR), Timea Bacsinszky (SUI), Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) and Flavia Pennetta (ITA) have all been shortlisted for the Fed Cup play-offs award.

The players were shortlisted by the Heart Award judging panel, consisting of ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and a mixture of former players and members of the international media. A public vote, running on 22-26 June, is being held on FedCup.com and FedCup.com/es to decide the winner, who will receive a cheque for $3,000 to be donated to their chosen charity.

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “The Fed Cup Heart Award is in its seventh year and continues to recognise the outstanding contributions made by players to their country and the competition. Fed Cup by BNP Paribas celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF centenary year, and I would like to acknowledge the efforts of all the players during this time who have helped Fed Cup grow to enjoy the success that it does today.”

The Fed Cup Heart Award is an ITF initiative that was first presented to USA’s Melanie Oudin at the 2009 Fed Cup Final. It aims to recognise players who have represented their country with distinction, shown exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to their team. A total of six players will now be recognised in 2015. To cast your vote, visit the Fed Cup website

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 99 nations entered in 2015. The event celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF’s centenary year. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Fed Cup. Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) is an international sponsor and beIN SPORTS is the Official Global Media Rights Partner. For the latest news, visit http://www.fedcup.com, http://www.fedcup.com/es, http://www.twitter.com/fedcup, http://www.facebook.com/FedCup, http://www.Weibo.com/fedcupofficial and http://www.fedcup.tv.

Victoria Azarenka Fed Cup By BNP Paribas
photo credit: Tatiana
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kulitat/16295122327/in/photolist-qPWL9X-bB1p1j-bPV3CF-bPV3qK-bB1osq-bB1oFE-bB1pJj-bB1oth-bPV1Ax-bPSEoD-bB1nz3-bB1q6Y-bAY15L-bB1qiE-qPTkLf-r7jqFn-qPUKhU-bB1q5s-bPSDt6-bAXZdN-bPSCVK-qQ1Kf6-qQBhVU-r824ec-bB1p2q-bB1pmG-bB1p3W-bPV3nX-bB1puJ-bPV3vK-bPV2Lx-bB1oWy-bB1pQm-bPV3Hc-bB1oyq-bPV3Wp-bB1pqy-9Yd3wq-bPSCon-qQzMvw-qQBbMb-qQBbC3-bAXYzS-bB1pWm-bPV2wg-bPV2g4-bPSDx8-bPV2SR-bPV3h2-bB1oa7

PLAYER INFORMATION

Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
Scored three victories against Japan to lead Belarus back into World Group II for the first time since 2012. Defeated Misaki Doi and Kurumi Nara in singles, before partnering Olga Govortsova to victory in the decisive doubles rubber.

Timea Bacsinszky (SUI)
Recorded three wins against Poland to help Switzerland win promotion to the World Group. Defeated Urszula and Agnieszka Radwanska in singles, before partnering Viktorija Golubic to a dramatic three-set doubles victory.

Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU)
Secured Romania’s promotion to the World Group with two singles victories against Canada. Upset Eugenie Bouchard on the opening day, before scoring a three-set win over Francoise Abanda to give Romania a 3-1 winning lead.

Flavia Pennetta (ITA)
Helped Italy come from behind to defeat the United States 3-2 in Brindisi. Defeated Christina McHale to level the tie, before partnering Sara Errani to victory over Alison Riske and Serena Williams, ending Williams’s unbeaten Fed Cup record,

2015 WINNERS

World Group semifinals: to be presented at the Final

World Group / World Group II play-offs: TBC

World Group / World Group II first round: Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU)

Europe/Africa Zone Group I: Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR)

Americas Zone Group I: Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR)

Asia/Oceania Zone Group I: Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA)

VALUE OF CHEQUES

World Group semifinals winner (x1): $10,000

World Group / World Group II first round winner (x1): $6,000

World Group / World Group II play-offs winner (x1): $3,000

Zone Group I winners (x3): $1,000

JUDGING PANEL

Francesco Ricci Bitti (ITA), ITF President

Sabine Appelmans (BEL), former Fed Cup player/captain

Mercedes Paz (ARG), former Fed Cup player

Craig Gabriel (AUS), international journalist

Sandra Harwitt (USA), international journalist

Corinne Dubreuil (FRA), international photographer

Ray Giubilo (ITA), international photographer

Players Compete For Wild Cards At ITF Junior Masters

The ITF Yesterday announced that 25 member nations and their professional tournaments have offered to donate wild cards to participants in the inaugural ITF Junior Masters in Chengdu, China on 3-5 April 2015.

The ITF Junior Masters is a new international event showcasing eight male and eight female players who qualified on the basis of their 18-and-under ITF Junior World Ranking at the end of 2014. The inaugural event will take place at the Sichuan International Tennis Centre in Chengdu following a three-year agreement with the Chinese Tennis Association and the Chengdu Sport Bureau.

The men’s singles sees ITF world junior champion Andrey Rublev of Russia joined by US duo Taylor Fritz and Michael Mmoh, Orlando Luz and Marcelo Zormann of Brazil, Korea’s Chung Yunseong and Duck Hee Lee, and Spain’s Jaume Munar.

Youth Olympic champion Xu Shilin of China heads the women’s entries, alongside Iryna Shymanovich of Belarus, Jil Teichmann of Switzerland, Kristina Schmiedlova of Slovakia, Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, Aliona Bolsova Zadoinov of Spain, Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic, and Elena Gabriela Ruse of Romania.

The ITF Junior Masters will consist of two knock-out singles events, with each player guaranteed three matches to determine their final finishing position.

The provision of wild cards is one of the ways in which the ITF Junior Masters will assist these top juniors in making a transition from junior tennis to the professional game. Member nations and their professional tournaments have already donated 2 ATP World Tour wild cards, 20 ATP Challenger wild cards, 25 ITF Women’s Circuit tournament wild cards at $25,000 level or above, and over 40 wild cards for ITF Men’s and Women’s Circuit events at $10,000 or $15,000 level. Players will have the opportunity to select wild cards for use in 2015 and 2016 in the order of their final finishing positions.

Francesco Ricci Bitti, photo credit ITF.com

ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “We are grateful to all the National Associations and tournaments who have offered to donate wild cards for participants in the ITF Junior Masters. This new event will not only showcase some of the world’s most talented young players, but further assist them in their transition to the senior game.”

The 16 competitors will also be competing for a total prize fund of $160,000 in travel grants. Each player to qualify for the Masters will earn a minimum travel grant of $7,000, while the boys’ and girls’ champions will both be awarded $15,000 travel grants.

ITF Juniors Committee Chairman, Jon Vegosen, said: “The ITF Junior Masters has made a strong financial commitment to help these promising young athletes at the start of their professional tennis careers. In addition to the support offered by the travel grant fund of $160,000, all participants and their coaches will receive free international travel to the event and a high level of hospitality during their week in Chengdu.”

The Sichuan International Tennis Centre, which was built in 2008 and consists of 12 match courts and 20 practice courts, has already hosted a number of international events. The ITF Junior Masters will be staged on two match courts, including a 6000-capacity stadium court, with matches broadcast by Sichuan TV and streamed live over the three days.

38 year old Samsonov wins record 26th ITTF World Tour Title in Qatar

Belarusian Vladimir SAMSONOV has sensationally won his 26th ITTF World Tour title at the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Super Series Qatar Open.

The 38 year old responded to China’s MA Long closing in on his record after he won the Kuwait Open last week, by showing vintage form to defeat Olympic bronze medalist Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 11-9, 11-8, 15-13, 6-11, 11-9 in the final.

This was a dramatically different SAMSONOV who lost in the opening round of last week’s Kuwait Open to turn around his form to taste Qatar Open success, just as he did in 2003 when he was world number one.

“I was down in the first game and won, but I think more importantly I was 4-8 behind in the third game and won; that was the crucial game in the match” stated SAMSONOV.

“Dima (OVTCHAROV) and myself, we know each other so well, we both play for the same club in the Russian League. I wanted to win and I am really happy that I won. I won in 2003 but I didn’t expect to win this year; Qatar is always a strong tournament and this year I played well from the very start.”

The number seven seed, Romanian Elizabeta SAMARA shocked the strong women’s field to become the women’s champion.

Samsonov smashes his way to this 26th ITTF World Tour title in Qatar.

The 25 year old from Constanta, Romania, marked a spectacular recovery from knee surgery in November to upset the number three seed HAN Ying (GER) in the final: 11-6, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9.

“During the match, my coach just told me to be calm, to relax and not to panic because I had never beaten HAN before” stated SAMARA.

“This victory means a lot to me, as it is my first Super Series title and my third World Tour victory overall. Plus my first one since my knee operation!”

Marcos FREITAS (POR) and Andrej GACINA (CRO) won the men’s doubles title, after beating the Brazilian pair of Hugo CALDERANO and Gustavo TSUBOI 11-3, 11-5, 12-10. The Brazilians have made history by becoming the first ever Latin Americans to reach an ITTF World Tour Super Series Final.

Hong Kong’s JIANG Huajun and TIE Yana were the women’s doubles champions. The Hong Kong pair who won their fourth World Tour title here in Doha defeated Singapore’s LIN Ye and ZHOU Yihan 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 in the final.

Benjamin BROSSIER of France and Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS won the respective under 21 men’s Singles and under 21 women’s singles titles to close out the gold medals at the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Super Series Qatar Open.

The next stop on the GAC Group ITTF World Tour is the Nigerian Open in Lagos on March 10 and the German Open in Bremen on March 18.

OPARANOZIE,OTHER FOREIGN PROS ARRIVE SUPER FALCONS CAMP AHEAD AWC

Super Falcons foreign based forwards Desire Oparanozie and Francisca Ordega have said that Super Falcons will use the forth coming African Women Championship (AWC) to redeem their image.

The former Delta Queens and Rivers Angels strikers who ply their trade in France with En Avent De Guingamp,France and Pitea IFF, Sweden expressed joy at re-uniting with their national team mates for the AWC.

Oparanozie said she almost lost hope because her club did not want to release her but expressed happiness that she has finally joined the team and she is rearing to go.

“My club almost did not release me because of the matches we have to play in the league. I am happy that they released me and I am finally here to join my team mates to help Super Falcons do well at the AWC and reclaim the trophy”

OPARANOZIE,OTHER FOREIGN PROS ARRIVE SUPER FALCONS CAMP

Ordega on her part said she is delighted to join the team after her two years absence.

“I am happy to be back to the Super Falcons for the AWC after not being part of the team for the last championship in Equatorial Guinea. My club in Russia stopped me then and the same thing wanted to repeat it self now but I bluntly refused”

“I am happy to be hear now,I promise to put in my best to see that Falcons reclaim the AWC trophy and bring back the glory days to Super Falcons”.

The duo arrived camp tuesday night from their bases in France and Sweden and had their first training with Super Falcons on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, Onome Ebi and Esther Sunday from Belarus and Perpetua Nkwocha from Sweden also arrived camp this Wednesday afternoon.

EXCELLENCE MEETS ELEGANCE IN QUEBEC CITY

The 13th FINA Synchronised Swimming World Cup will take place in Quebec City (CAN) from October 2-5, 2014. About 150 athletes from 16 nations will fight for top honours in six events: duet and team, divided into technical and free routines, team highlight and free combination. There will be preliminaries for all events.

Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Japan, Mexico and Ukraine are the countries with the most athletes in this four-day elite-level competition, which is held every four years. Other participating countries include Austria, Belarus, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Kazakhstan, Slovakia and Switzerland.

China won the 2010 edition at home, in Changshu, sharing the podium with Canada (second) and Ukraine (third).

NFF INVITES NKWOCHA, SEVEN OTHER FOREIGN PLAYERS FOR RWANDA

The Nigeria Football Federation has given approval to Super Falcons Coach Edwin Okon to beef the team up with the invitation of eight foreign based professionals
players ahead of the African Women Championship (AWC) qualifier against Rwanda.

Team administrator, Ruth David disclosed that letters of invitation has been sent to the clubs of eight of the players listed by the coach for the May 24 date with Rwanda.

She explained that all the invited players are expected to report at the Abuja camp of the Super Falcons on May 13 to enable them have a minimum of five days training with the other players before picking a squad that will play Rwanda.

The players invited are Perpetua Nkwocha (Sunnana SK,Sweden), Sarah Micheal (KIF Orebro,Sweden), Francisca Ordega (Pitea IF,Sweden), Onome Ebi (Minsk FC,Belarus), Osinachi Ohale (Houston Dash,United States), Faith Ikidi (Pitea IF,Sweden), Desire Oparanozie (Atasehir Belediyespor,Turkey) and Helen Ukaonu (Sunnana SK,Sweden).

The foreign based players are to join the 24 home based players who have been in camp for close to one month in Abuja.

Coach Edwin Okon insists that all the foreign based players must report early enough to accertain their fitness level adding that only players who are able to prove themselves would face Rwanda.

The match against the She-Amavubi of Rwanda will take place in the weekend of May 23-25.

2014 World University Championship (WUC) Season starts Next Month!

On 22 March, the first World University Championship of 2014 will kick-off in Entebbe, Uganda. The 19th World University Cross-Country Championship will launch the 2014 WUC season featuring no less than 29 (!) FISU events on 4 continents from March to December.

With 22 host countries, including five that will host a FISU event for the first time, the best student-athletes will be offered a global stage to showcase their excellence.

Indeed, Belarus (canoe sprint), India (squash), Malaysia (woodball), Singapore (floorball) and the UAE (equestrian and shooting sports will host their first international university sport competitions, further developing the universality of FISU.

Beyond these new host countries, many regular host countries such as Brazil, France, China, Portugal, Poland and Uganda will provide top level competitions for the best student-athletes in the world.

Besides new hosts of FISU Family events in 2014, new sports will also appear in the FISU sports programme, like American Football, following the agreement between FISU and the IFAF developed in 2013. However, it will be the last edition of the World University Taekwondo Championships, since from 2017 onwards this sport will be included in the compulsory sports programme of the Summer Universiade.

This WUC season promises many sporting emotions and we hope to see many of you to participate in these events and come support these student-athletes. You can follow all the results and news on the website and social networks of the FISU.

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas results: 7 February 2014

The ITF has announced the latest results from Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Americas Zone Group I, Asia/Oceania Zone Groups I and II, and Europe/Africa Zone Groups I and III.

Five Zone Group events are taking place this week: Europe/Africa Zone Group I in Budapest, Hungary (4-9 February); Americas Zone Group I in Lambare, Paraguay (5-8 February); Asia/Oceania Zone Groups I and II in Astana, Kazakhstan (4-8 February); and Europe/Africa Zone Group III in Tallinn, Estonia (5-8 February).

All nations contesting the Zone Group I events will be bidding to qualify for the Fed Cup World Group II play-offs on 19-20 April, with two teams qualifying from the Europe/Africa Zone, and one team from both the Americas and Asia/Oceania Zones.

The 2014 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group and World Group II first round ties are taking place on 8-9 February.

Fed Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport, with 95 nations taking part in 2014. The event celebrated its 50th birthday in 2013 in the ITF’s centenary year. The title sponsor is BNP Paribas, the Official Bank of Fed Cup. Adecco (Official HR Sponsor) is an international sponsor, and Wilson Sporting Goods (Official Ball) is an international partner.

Follow all the action on http://www.fedcup.com, http://www.fedcup.com/es, http://www.twitter.com/fedcup, http://www.facebook.com/FedCup and http://www.fedcup.tv

EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP I

Venue: Syma Event and Congress Centre, Budapest, Hungary (hard – indoor)

Pool A

Belgium defeated Croatia 3-0

Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) d. Tereza Mrdeza (CRO) 64 16 62
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Donna Vekic (CRO) 63 62
Alison Van Uytvanck/Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) d. Darija Jurak/Tereza Mrdeza (CRO) 06 64 64

Netherlands defeated Luxembourg 3-0

Richel Hogenkamp (NED) d. Sharon Pesch (LUX) 63 61
Kiki Bertens (NED) d. Tiffany Cornelius (LUX) 61 61
Michaella Krajicek/Lesley Kerkhove (NED) d. Tiffany Cornelius/Sharon Pesch (LUX) 61 60

Pool B

Romania defeated Great Britain 2-1

Heather Watson (GBR) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 67(7) 61 64
Simona Halep (ROU) d. Johanna Konta (GBR) 61 64
Irina-Camelia Begu/Monica Niculescu (ROU) d. Jocelyn Rae/Heather Watson (GBR) 60 62

Hungary defeated Latvia 2-1

Reka-Luca Jani (HUN) d. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 60 64
Diana Marcinkevica (LAT) d. Timea Babos (HUN) 62 64
Timea Babos/Reka-Luca Jani (HUN) d. Diana Marcinkevica/Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 75 36 61

Pool D

Belarus defeated Bulgaria 2-1

Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) d. Borislava Botusharova (BUL) 61 63
Olga Govortsova (BLR) d. Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) 63 64
Elitsa Kostova/Viktoriya Tomova (BUL) d. Ilona Kremen/Iryna Shymanovich (BLR) 46 63 75

Portugal defeated Turkey 2-1

Ipek Soylu (TUR) d. Barbara Luz (POR) 76(3) 62
Michelle Larcher De Brito (POR) d. Cagla Buyukakcay (TUR) 64 62
Michelle Larcher De Brito/Barbara Luz (POR) d. Cagla Buyukakcay/Pemra Ozgen (TUR) 26 63 63

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP I

Venue: National Tennis Centre, Astana, Kazakhstan (hard – indoor)

Pool A

Thailand defeated Kazakhstan 2-1

Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) d. Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (THA) 64 63
Luksika Kumkhum (THA) d. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 06 64 61
Luksika Kumkhum/Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) d. Yaroslava Shvedova/Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) 64 76(3)

Pool B

China, P.R. defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0

Qiang Wang (CHN) d. Chia Hsien Yang (TPE) 61 75
Shuai Zhang (CHN) d. Ting-Fei Juan (TPE) 60 60
Qiang Wang/Shuai Zhang (CHN) d. Ting-Fei Juan/Ya-Hsuan Lee (TPE) 62 62

Uzbekistan defeated Korea, Rep. 2-1

Sabina Sharipova (UZB) d. So-Ra Lee (KOR) 61 61
Nigina Abduraimova (UZB) d. Su Jeong Jang (KOR) 16 75 63
Na Lae Han/Mi Yoo (KOR) d. Arina Folts/Alina Abdurakhimova (UZB) 62 60

AMERICAS ZONE GROUP I

Venue: Yacht y Golf Club Paraguayo, Lambare, Paraguay (clay – outdoor)

Pool A

Paraguay defeated Venzuela 2-0

Montserrat Gonzalez (PAR) d. Andrea Gamiz (VEN) 75 63
Veronica Cepede Royg (PAR) d. Adriana Perez (VEN) 61 64
Veronica Cepede Royg/Montserrat Gonzalez (PAR) v Andrea Gamiz/Adriana Perez (VEN)

Pool B

Brazil defeated Colombia 2-0

Paula Cristina Goncalves (BRA) d. Catalina Castano (COL) 63 64
Teliana Pereira (BRA) d. Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) 60 76(5)
Catalina Castano/Mariana Duque-Marino (COL) v Paula Cristina Goncalves/Teliana Pereira (BRA)

Ecuador defeated Bahamas 2-0

Charlotte Roemer (ECU) d. Iesha Shepherd (BAH) 60 61
Domenica Gonzalez (ECU) d. Nikkita Fountain (BAH) 63 60
Nikkita Fountain/Larikah Russell (BAH) v Rafaella Baquerizo/Rafaela Gomez (ECU)

ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II

Venue: National Tennis Centre, Astana, KAZ (hard – indoor)

1st to 4th place play-off

Hong Kong, China defeated India 2-1

Eudice Chong (HKG) d. Prarthana G. Thombare (IND) 62 61
Ling Zhang (HKG) d. Ankita Raina (IND) 64 63
Ankita Raina/Rishika Sunkara (IND) d. Kwan Yau Ng/Ho Ching Wu (HKG) 62 61

Philippines defeated Turkmenistan 3-0

Anna Clarice Patrimonio (PHI) d. Jahana Bayramova (TKM) 62 60
Marian Jade Capadocia (PHI) d. Anastasiya Prenko (TKM) 46 64 60
Marian Jade Capadocia/Anna Clarice Patrimonio (PHI) d. Jahana Bayramova/Guljahan Kadyrova (TKM) 61 61

5th to 8th place play-off

New Zealand defeated Malaysia 3-0

Emma Hayman (NZL) d. Aslina Chua An Ping (MAS) 62 63
Marina Erakovic (NZL) d. Alyssa Boey (MAS) 62 60
Abigail Guthrie/Dianne Hollands (NZL) d. Michelle Li Sha Khoo/Yus Syazlin Nabila Binti Yusri (MAS) 61 60

Singapore defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-1

Inna Volkovich (KGZ) d. Geraldine Ang (SIN) 62 76(3)
Rheeya Doshi (SIN) d. Alina Lazareva (KGZ) 61 61
Geraldine Ang/Rheeya Doshi (SIN) d. Alina Lazareva/Inna Volkovich (KGZ) 61 62

9th to 12th place play-off

Vietnam defeated Iran 3-0

Thi Tam Hao Tran (VIE) d. Ghazal Pakbaten (IRI) 61 60
Phi Khanh Huynh (VIE) d. Sahar Amini Hajibashi (IRI) 76(6) 46 75
Minh Trang Dao/Thi Thanh Binh Phan (VIE) d. Ghazal Pakbaten/Sadaf Sadeghvaziri (IRI) 16 62 62

Sri Lanka defeated Iraq 3-0

Nethmi Himashi Waduge (SRI) d. Halla Alajeely (IRQ) 63 62
Amreetha Muttiah (SRI) d. Ghada Alajeely (IRQ) 60 61
Kemalie Herath/Medhira Samarasinghe (SRI) d. Ghada Alajeely/Halla Alajeely (IRQ) 63 61

EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP III

Venue: Tere Tennis Center, Tallinn, Estonia (hard – indoor)

Pool A

Estonia defeated Armenia 3-0

Anett Kontaveit (EST) d. Ani Safaryan (ARM) 60 60
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Ani Amiraghyan (ARM) 60 60
Eva Paalma/Tatjana Vorobjova (EST) d. Lusine Chobanyan/Ani Safaryan (ARM) 63 62

Pool B

Greece defeated Moldova 2-1

Valentini Grammatikopoulou (GRE) d. Anastasia Detiuc (MDA) 61 60
Maria Sakkari (GRE) d. Julia Helbet (MDA) 62 61
Gabriela Porubin/Julia Helbet (MDA) d. Maria Sakkari/Agni Stefanou (GRE) 63 62

Pool C

Denmark defeated Norway 2-1

Mai Grage (DEN) d. Ida Seljevoll Skancke (NOR) 61 63
Karen Barbat (DEN) d. Melanie Stokke (NOR) 60 62
Ida Seljevoll Skancke/Melanie Stokke (NOR) d. Malou Ejdesgaard/Mai Grage (DEN) 76(7) 76(3)

Pool D

Ireland defeated Malta 2-1

Elaine Genovese (MLT) d. Jane Fennelly (IRL) 63 46 62
Amy Bowtell (IRL) d. Katrina Sammut (MLT) 63 60
Amy Bowtell/Rachael Dillon (IRL) d. Rosanne Dimech/Elaine Genovese (MLT) 61 61