PERTH (Australia), Feb 4: Jelena Dokic continued her spectacular comeback on Wednesday, leading Australia to a comprehensive 3-0 win over South Korea in their opening Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Group I clash.

The former world number four said she was nervous ahead of her first appearance for Australia in the women’s team event since 2000 but cruised to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Lee Jin-A, ranked a lowly 305 in the world.

World number 43 Samantha Stosur then wrapped up the Group ‘A’ tie for the host nation with a 6-2, 6-4 win over the 226th-ranked Lee Ye-Ra.

Casey Dellacqua and Rennae Stubbs completed a clean sweep with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Chang Kyung-Mi and Lee Jin-A in the doubles.

The 25-year-old Dokic, who emerged from years in the tennis wilderness with a remarkable run to the Australian Open quarter-finals last month, said she had plenty in reserve after beating an opponent whom she admitted she did not even know was left-handed before the match.

In front of just a few hundred fans, a far cry from the packed crowds in Melbourne, Dokic’s only hiccup came when she served for the match at 5-1 in the second set and was broken by Lee.

In Group ‘A’, India, without injured star Sania Mirza, slumped to a 3-0 loss to New Zealand.

Results:

Asia/Oceania Group I:

Group A:

Australia bt Korea 3-0: Jelena Dokic (Australia) bt Lee Jin-A (Korea) 6-0, 6-2; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Lee Ye-Ra (Korea) 6-2, 6-4; Rennae Stubbs/Casey Dellacqua (Australia) bt Chang Kyung Mi/Lee Jin-A (Korea) 6-0, 6-2.

New Zealand bt India 3-0: Diane Hollands (New Zealand) bt Rushmi Chakravarthi (India) 6-3, 6-0; Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) bt Ankita Bhambri (India) 6-3, 6-2; Erakovic/Kairangi Vano (New Zealand) bt Bhambri/Bhambri (India) 6-2, 6-3.

Group B: Thailand bt Taiwan 3-0: Suchanun Viratprasert (Thailand) bt Hwang I-Hsuan (Taiwan) 7-6 (7-3), 6-1; Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) bt Chan Chin-Wei (Taiwan) 6-2, 6-0; Tanasurgan/Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (Thailand) bt Hwang/Chuang Chia-Jung (Taiwan) 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-1.Indonesia bt Uzbekistan 2-1: Ayu Fani Damayanti (Indonesia) bt Vlada Ekshibarova (Uzbekistan) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; Agkul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) bt Sandy Gumulya (Indonesia) 6-2, 3-6, 6-1; Damayanti/Gumulya (Indonesia) bt Ammammuradova/Khabibulina (Uzbekistan) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).

Asia/Oceania Group II:

Hong Kong bt Iran 3-0: Yang Zi Jun (Hong Kong) bt Shadi Tabatabaei (Iran) 6-0, 6-0; Zhang Ling (Hong Kong) bt Ghazaleh Torkaman (Iran) 6-0, 6-0; Sher Pui Wing/Wu Ho Ching (Hong Kong) bt Madona Najarian/Tabatabaei (Iran) 6-2, 7-5.

Kazakhstan bt Singapore 3-0: Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) bt Celina Cassandra Goetti (Singapore) 6-0, 6-2; Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) bt Tan Li-Yun (Singapore) 6-0, 6-0; Shvedova/Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) bt Goetti/Tan (Singapore) 6-1, 6-1.—AFP