Managing Sun's workload key to NZ's success at BJK Cup said captain

Managing the workload will be key for New Zealand’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Matt Hair during this week’s tournament in Puna, India.

The New Zealand team for the Asia/Oceania Group I event will be led by Lulu Sun and Monique Barry and they’ll play in the majority of the matches, but Hair will also need to use his three young players, Aishi Das, Sasha Situe and Renee Zhang, who are all playing at this level for the first time.

The event features national teams from Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, China, India, Korea Republic and Thailand alongside New Zealand, with the top two teams qualifying for World Group Play-Offs in November.

Hair will likely rely heavily on Sun and Barry for the singles matches and hope that the doubles match that follows will be a dead rubber, so that they can be rested, particularly with Sun, as she’ll be his No 1 singles player.

“She knows that she's going to be having to play quite a lot, and we'll have to manage that as the week goes on,” Hair said of Sun. 

“It's obviously hot conditions over here, but we're going to have to use her as much as we can, just in the situation that we are in, with the three younger girls.”

For Das, Situe and Zhang, being in the Billie Jean King Cup team for the first time, this will be a great experience for them. 

“I think the youth is good,” Hair said. 

“Obviously those three being around Lulu, and also Monique who is on tour all year, it's going to be great for them, and a great experience, and it's going to be an excellent learning environment. 

“I'm sure those three younger girls will get a lot out of their time.”

When Das, Situe and Zhang get opportunities to play during the week, Hair says he’s confident that they’ll be able to step up and ease the burden on Sun and Barry.

“We will have to see it on a match by by match basis and see how we're looking after the singles,” he said. 

“The key is going to be how we manage those two throughout the week as well. But I'm sure with our younger girls, I'm expecting them to be able to step up, when they get the chance to get on court.”

New Zealand are scheduled to play India on Tuesday and Hair predicts them to be one of the strongest nations.

“I probably see Korea as being one of the stronger nations, maybe India as well,” he said.

“But I think on a day to day basis, we can match it with all the nations here, similar to last year as well, it's just going to come down to who's performing on that day.”