India produced a commanding response in their second Asia/Oceania Group I tie of the Billie Jean King Cup, blanking New Zealand 3-0 in New Delhi on Wednesday. After a narrow 1-2 defeat to Thailand in their rain-hit opener, the Indian team returned with renewed composure and clarity, delivering strong performances across both singles and doubles.
Young debutant Vaishnavi Adkar led the charge with an impressive 6-2, 6-4 win over Aishi Das. Showing significant improvement from her previous outing, Vaishnavi controlled rallies effectively and handled pressure moments with maturity to give India an early lead.
Reflecting on her performance, she said, "It was my first match as a player in the Billie Jean King Cup, so I was definitely very nervous. I did
not handle my nerves well. But that was a lesson learned for me. " "Coming on court today, I had to focus on what I do best. And all I had to do was go to court and give my best. " Adkar added.
Sahaja Extends The Lead Against Valentina
In the second game, Sahaja Yamalapalli followed up the strong performance with a dominant win of 6-1, 6-3 against Valentina Ivanov. Dictating play from the baseline, Sahaja combined powerful groundstrokes with smart shot selection to put India firmly in control of the tie.
After the match, she said, "I'm happy with the win. It was a tough match (against Thailand) to swallow. We expected a different result, we did what we could, we fought our heart out. "
Talking about the game against Thailand, Sahaja said, "I wasn't happy with the strategies I executed (in the first match), so I told myself to do better to close out the matches. We need to fight for every point, support each other, and see where it takes us. "
Rutuja, Ankita Complete The 3-0 Whitewash
The experienced duo of Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina sealed the clean sweep with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Erin Routliffe and Monique Barry in the doubles match.
The victory marked a swift turnaround for India, which had struggled in its opening tie. With this comprehensive win, the hosts kept their campaign alive and regained momentum in the competition.
