PERTH (Australia), Feb 7: Australia beat New Zealand 3-0 in the Fed Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group I final on Saturday as they continue their bid to rejoin the elite World Group of the women’s team competition.

The only team able to call on three players in the world’s top 100, the home side made a clean-sweep of their four ties this week, winning all 12 matches they played.

Seven-time Fed Cup champions Australia will now contest the World Group II play-off in April. Victory there would see them elevated to World Group II in 2010, just one step away from a return to the top echelon of the competition.

Yet to beat Australia in the Fed Cup in five attempts, it was the second year in a row that New Zealand had been beaten in the Asia/Oceania Group I final, losing last year to Uzbekistan.

World number 43 Samantha Stosur clinched the tie with an straightforward 6-1, 6-4 win over Marina Erakovic, New Zealand’s highest-ranked player at 57, in the second singles match and said the Australians believed they were capable of returning to the World Group.“I think we have a great chance,” she said. “We have a good team put together, three of us in the top 100 and Rennae (Stubbs) in the doubles, and Casey (Dellacqua) and myself able to play in the doubles is a really good combination.

The host nation made a perfect start when Australian Open quarter-finalist Dokic’s 2009 resurgence continued with a straight-sets win over Dianne Hollands, 6-4, 6-4.

The un-ranked Hollands gave Dokic an early fright, grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first set and going a break up early in the second, but the Australian fought back.

“It is not always easy when you are supposed to win easy,” Dokic said. “She started well, she was just swinging and everything was going in.

“I didn’t play well, but sometimes you have to win when you are not playing well.

“Mentally I was extremely good, I was down in both sets and the really key points and games in each sets I won them all and I have to be happy with that.”

In the dead mixed doubles rubber, Dellacqua and Stubbs beat Kairangi Vano and Shona Lee 6-2, 6-2.

The relegation tie saw Taiwan beat India 3-0. India will drop to Asia/Oceania Zone Group II next year, and be replaced in Group I by Kazakhstan.

Results (Asia/Oceania Zone Group I, final day):

Final:

Australia bt New Zealand 3-0: Jelena Dokic (Australia) bt Dianne Hollands (New Zealand) 6-4, 6-4; Samantha Stosur (Australia) bt Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) 6-1, 6-4; Casey Dellacqua/Rennae Stubbs (Australia) bt Kairangi Vano/Shona Lee (New Zealand) 6-2, 6-2.

Third-place play-off:

Thailand bt Indonesia 3-0: Varatchaya Wongteanchai (Thailand) bt Jessy Rompies (Indonesia) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4; Noppawan Lertcheewakarn (Thailand) bt Lavinia Tatanta (Indonesia) 6-1, retired; Lertcheewakarn/Tamarine Tanasugarn (Thailand) bt Rompies/Sandy Gumulya (Indonesia) 6-4, 6-2.

Fifth-place play-off:

Uzbekistan bt South Korea 2-1: Yu Min-Hwa (Korea) bt Albina Khabibulina (Uzbekistan) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1; Akgul Amanmuradova (Uzbekistan) bt Lee Ye-Ra (Korea) 6-3, 6-4; Alexandra Kolesnichenko/Khabibulina (Uzbekistan) bt Chang Kyung Mi/Lee Jin-A (Korea) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Relegation play-off:

Taiwan bt India 3-0: Hwang I-Hsuan (Taiwan) bt Rushmi Chakravarthi (India) 6-2, 7-5; Chan Chin-Wei (Taiwan) bt Ankita Bhambri (India) 7-5, 6-1; Chan/Chuang Chia-Jung (Taiwan) bt Ankita Bhambri/Sanaa Bhambri (India) 6-4, 6-2.—AFP