Indonesia outplay Malaysia for Billie Jean King Cup promotion
Malaysia lost 2-0 in their promotional playoff against Indonesia at the National Tennis centre here today (June 21).
Elsa Wan Abdul Rahman succumbed to a 6-2, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Anjali Kirana Junarto in the opening singles.
Joleen Saw had Malaysian fans on the edge of their seats as she pushed Mishka Sinclaire Goenardi hard before going down 6-7 (8), 6-1, 6-4.
Mongolia will join Indonesia in the Group I competition next year as they defeated Philippines 2-0 in the other promotional playoff.
Malaysia had finished second behind Mongolia in group A earlier this week to qualify for the promotional playoff, which was essentially the semi-finals.
A total of 10 teams competed in Group II this season.
Joleen, who was reduced to tears after losing her match against Indonesia, was nevertheless proud of the team's efforts this year.
"I tried my best but at the end of the day she (Mishka) made the better shots and played really well," said a visibly dejected Joleen.
"The atmosphere was incredible today and I really appreciate the support we got from our home crowd.
"Unfortunately we could not get the result we wanted. It is a bit disappointing, there was not much I could do.
"Overall, I think we had a better chance (at promotion) than last year and our performances were quite okay.
"I will continue to keep working hard to improve my game - especially my serve and footwork - and hopefully I can play again next year if I am on semester break."
Joleen, 18, is set to join the University of Pennsylvania later this year where she will both study and play collegiate tennis.
The national squad finished third in the Group II competition last year - Malaysia's best-ever performance in the history of the competition - when it featured a different two-phase, round robin format.
There was no playoff for third place this season.
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