Turkmenistan’s Women’s Tennis Team Opens Billie Jean King Cup Campaign with a Victory
Amul Info ·
Turkmenistan’s women’s tennis team made a winning start at the Billie Jean King Cup international team competition in Phan Thiet, Vietnam, defeating Tajikistan 3–0 in their opening tie.
Turkmenistan’s women’s tennis team defeated Tajikistan 3–0 in its opening match at the Billie Jean King Cup international team competition, which is being held in the coastal Vietnamese city of Phan Thiet.
Eight national teams are competing in Group III of the Asia/Oceania zone. The teams have been divided into two groups and are vying for places in the next stage. Following the draw, Turkmenistan was placed in Group B alongside Vietnam, Tajikistan and Iraq. Group A comprises Nepal, the Northern Mariana Islands, Brunei and Saudi Arabia.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the play-off stage. The winner of the final stage will earn the opportunity to compete in Group II of the Asia/Oceania zone next year.
Turkmenistan’s team includes Aynur Movlamova, a 12th-grade student at Specialized Secondary School No. 27 in Ashgabat; Aylara Kakabayeva, a 10th-grade student at the School for Gifted Children named after Hero Atamurat Niyazov in Ashgabat and an athlete at the Jahan Creative Centre; Jennet Charyyeva, a 12th-grade student at Secondary School No. 19 in Mary; and Anna Ponyatova, a 9th-grade student at the A. S. Pushkin Turkmen-Russian Joint Secondary School in Ashgabat. The team is captained by Yuri Rogussky, head coach of Turkmenistan’s women’s tennis team and a Master of Sport.
The Turkmen athletes delivered a confident performance in their opening match against Tajikistan. In the first singles match, Aylara Kakabayeva defeated Sumaya Tukhtaeva 6–1, 6–0 in 49 minutes. In the other singles match, Aynur Movlamova beat Anisa Yakhyaeva 6–0, 6–4. That match lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
In the doubles match, Jennet Charyyeva and Anna Ponyatova faced Sayyora Rajabaliyeva and Anastasia Tashinseva, winning 6–1, 6–1. The Turkmen pair needed just 28 minutes to secure the victory. As a result, Turkmenistan won all three matches and made a successful start to the tournament.
Turkmenistan’s next opponents will be the team from Iraq. In their opening match, the Iraqi team lost 3–0 to Vietnam, which was listed as the first-seeded team in the group following the draw.
The Billie Jean King Cup is one of the major international team competitions in women’s tennis. From 1963 to 2020, the tournament was known as the Federation Cup. In September 2020, it was renamed in honour of American tennis player Billie Jean King. Turkmenistan’s women’s team has been participating in the competition since 2004.