Shahar Peer
צילום: איי פי
Peer wins at Fed Cup, bringing Israel to No. 8 ranking
Israeli women's tennis team make World Group for first time in history, after beating Austria 3-0
AUSTRIA - Shahar Peer defeated Austria's Yvonne Meusburger, 6:3, 6:1, leading the Israeli women's tennis team to victory at the Fed Cup in Linz, Austria, and, more importantly, to an eighth-place world ranking.
This is Israel's tenth successive Fed Cup victory, but the first time that team results have been high enough to qualify them for a spot in the eight-team World Group.
Shahar Peer, with team captain Oded Jacob (Photo: AP)
The victory by Peer, who is ranked 18th internationally, led Israel to a 3-0 defeat of the Austrian team. Meusberger, who was replacing sick teammate Sibylle Bammer as her country's top player, had lost to Peer's teammate, 34-year-old Tzipi Obziler (75), on Saturday.
Team captain Oded Jacob decided that the soon-to-be retired Anna Smashnova (166) should step in for Israel's final Fed Cup match, which is being played for protocol only, as the Israeli team has already won.
Seventeen-year-old Julia Glushko, the final member of the women's squad, will play with Obziler in a doubles match.
