Ho Chi Minh (VNS) — The national women's tennis team is starting training in preparation for the Fed Cup qualification.

The five-member team will practise under two coaches in HCM City and Da Lat until early February before taking part in the Cup's Group II against 11 rivals including Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealands, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan.

The Vietnamese team lacks its strongest athletes, Huynh Phuong Dai Trang and Nguyen Ai Ngoc Van, who are taking part in personal training courses in the US.

The Viet Nam Tennis Federation set a target of being in the top eight.

The tournament will be organised in Astana, Kazakhstan on February 4-8. — VNS