The Japan Tennis Association made a request on Monday that Japan’s promotion/relegation playoff against Slovenia in the Fed Cup scheduled for April 24-25 be postponed due to flight disruptions caused by Iceland’s volcanic eruption.
The request for an extension in the World Group II playoff was placed with the International Tennis Federation.
Former world No. 4 Kimiko Date Krumm and teammates were initially scheduled to leave Japan on Sunday but the volcanic eruption has wreaked havoc with flight departures.
“This situation was totally unforeseen. We need the International Tennis Federation to deal with this in a flexible manner,” said tennis association senior director Koji Watanabe.
Victory over Slovenia on the indoor court in Maribor would allow Japan to return to the World Group II for the first time since 2008.