'A Painful Defeat'
Israel's Federation Cup captain Oded Jacob described a 'painful defeat' as his side crashed out of the Elite World Group in women's tennis.
Falling to a 3-2 home defeat by the Czech Republic, the biggest disappointment was arguably star player Shahar Peer losing both her singles matches, meaning only two superb wins from Tzipi Obziler took the tie to a decisive rubber – where both Peer and Obziler lost 4-6, 3-6 to Iveta Benesova and Kveta Peschke in the doubles.
Reflecting back on the tie, Jacob told TJ: “The result was quite painful, especially as it was a pretty even tie. All five matches were well contested and there wasn’t much between the players. We knew it would be tight but they also had more players to call upon and that was the main difference.
“We had two players playing over the two days which meant it was a lot to ask of them. They had four players to choose from meaning their players had more energy going into the games, they weren’t necessarily the better side but their depth helped them.”
The tie was level after the first day’s play; Peer losing 6-2, 3-6, 0-6 against Petra Kvitova, before Obziler leveled the tie at 1-1 defeating Lucie Safarova 6-0, 3-6, 6-4. Peer’s misery continued on Sunday as she lost 3-6, 3-6, 4-6 to Benesova, though Obziler took the tie to a decider as she beat
Kvitova 6-3, 6-4.
Peer’s two losses were a bitter blow for the Israelis as they were counting on her to deliver points, which ultimately would have secured them the win.
Jacob said: “With highly-ranked players such as Shahar, you’re always hoping that they can take one or two points in a tie, but I also know there’s a lot of expectations on her shoulders, she has no replacement in the team so a lot is up to her and that’s a lot of extra pressure.”
Her cause wasn’t helped by suffering stomach cramps, though Jacob insists she was keen to play on: “She got medical treatment on Saturday and although not 100% fit for Sunday, she gave everything. She was very eager to play and I’m very proud of her performance.”
Just as encouraging about Obziler’s performance, Jacob added: “I’m always very proud of her, she’s not getting any younger but keeps on surprising me more and more. She did an amazing job over the tie, her first win was unbelievable, her second fantastic.”
Defeat means Israel will have to contest a zonal tie next year, though Jacob is hoping they can regain their elite spot sooner rather than later. “To get back into the World Group we will need luck, both with who we face and in getting a home draw” he said. “We want to get back into the top eight, but to be honest even being between 9-16 position is a great achievement for a country of our size.”
