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India’s women tennis team storms into Billie Jean King Cup playoffs
Summary
In a big win for Indian tennis, the Indian women’s team overcame intense pressure and a tough field to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs, led by Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Ankita Raina in PuneFor five demanding days, under a scorching sun, in sapping humidity, and into late restless evenings, the Indian women’s team kept pushing on. With or without a crowd to support them in the stands, the players bled blue. The immediate goal was to make the Billie Jean King Cup playoffs. The larger picture? To make a statement for Indian women’s tennis.
Sania Mirza apart, most of India’s women’s tennis players have spent too long on the sidelines. But over the last week at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune, they took centrestage. And they played like they belonged.
The assignment was tough. Six teams assembled in Pune for the Asia-Oceania Group I—India, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, South Korea and Thailand. The hosts needed to finish in the top two, without a top-300 singles player, to advance to the playoffs.
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And it all came down to the final round on Saturday. On an emotionally-charged day, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty gave India a winning start as she held her nerve to beat Sohyun Park 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in just under three hours. In the deciding doubles, Prarthana Thombare and Ankita Raina, seasoned campaigners both, beat Park and Dabin Kim 6-4, 6-3 to edge out South Korea 2-1 secure qualification to the playoffs.
“This team had a great mix of youth and experience," said Olympian Thombare, who scorched a forehand down the line winner to seal the tie in India’s favour. “Ankita and I are the more experienced players, and they could always lean on us. On the other hand, we relied on their energy to get us through. All through the week, we had each other’s backs. It was an absolute team effort."
Going into the tournament, captain Vishal Uppal had identified the depth of talent as India’s strongest suit. And it was on display during the Asia-Oceania Group I, when the team found a hero whenever they needed it. Be it Bhamidipaty who went from BJKC singles debutant to India’s knight in shining armour in one week. Or Sahaja Yamalapalli, ranked 316, who bravely battled World No. 110 Mananchaya Sawangkaew till she cramped and had to be put on a drip. Or Vaidehi Chaudhari, who stepped in for Yamalapalli for the next two days and won her two singles rubbers.
In the hierarchy of the BJKC, the top tier is the World Group Finals, Qualifiers, Playoffs and then the regional groups.
The Group I format is relentless. It demands that players show up every single day for five days in a head-to-head tie, which consists two singles and one doubles. Opponents are revealed only on the previous evening, leaving them little time to prepare. Even though India lost the opening tie to New Zealand 2-1, they turned it around from the next match against Thailand.
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The one player who personified India’s growing confidence and ambition was Bhamidipaty. The 23-year-old hails from Hyderabad, Mirza’s hometown. And there’s a hint of the Mirza’s mastery in her game; it’s there in the easy power on the forehand, the ability to hit herself out of trouble.
But something seemed to click mentally for the young player in Pune. The privilege of playing for the country unlocked a ferocity in her. From having never played a singles match for India before, she notched five wins in a row, including those over the much higher-ranked World No. 170 Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand and World No. 207 Joanna Garland of Chinese Taipei.
“I honestly don’t know what happened, but I was calm when I walked out for my match against Tararudee," said Bhamidipaty, ranked 345 in the world.
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Before the tournament, she had watched Chak De India! twice to get her competitive juices flowing. She needed every bit of it in her fifth tie against Korea, when she came up against Park’s relentless counterpunching. She was fatigued from the rigours of the previous matches and needed a medical timeout after the second set. But the Indian never stopped attacking, never stopped believing. In the tie-break, she stepped up further in the court, taking the ball earlier and giving her opponent fewer micro-seconds to react.
“We just wanted to play some really good tennis, and showcase why we are here and why people need to support us. That’s what helped us," she said.
Though Yamalapalli was beaten in the second singles, the Indian doubles team rose to the occasion to shut Korea out. The Raina-Thombare combo was at its best when India needed them the most. The 32-year-old Raina stood strong on the baseline, and Thombare’s unconventional but crafty game kept Korea guessing. While New Zealand topped the group, India pipped Thailand and Korea to capture the second place and a shot at Playoffs glory.
“Your girls have a lot of potential," an emotional Uppal, who had led India to the playoffs in 2020 as well, told the crowd in Pune. “Back your girls."
The team in blue laughed, they cried, they danced, they huddled, they posed and paraded with the tricolour as they celebrated a heady night for Indian tennis. They may not have everything yet, but they have each other.
Deepti Patwardhan is a sportswriter based in Mumbai.
