India complete ‘Project Playoff’ at BJK Cup

Pune: What started off with the young guns taking charge ended with the older guard of the Indian women’s tennis team providing the finishing touch. Those on the bench quietly crept up towards the edge of the players’ area, waiting in anticipation as 31-year-old Prarthana Thombare and 32-year-old Ankita Raina reached match point in the deciding rubber of the Asia/Oceania Group 1 tie against South Korea in the Billie Jean King Cup.

And once Thombare’s forehand down-the-line winner hit the backboard, coach, captain, players, physios – the entire squad – charged onto centre court of the Balewadi Tennis Stadium in Pune. With the win, India had reached the playoff stage of the premier women’s team event for only the second time.

Over the past week, the Indians took on New Zealand, Thailand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Korea in a round-robin format, with only the top two teams making it through to the playoff. They lost in a tie only to New Zealand – the other team to have qualified.

Vishal Uppal, the team captain, had told this publication before the competition that this group of players provided a previously unseen “depth in singles.” And they utilized every bit of it.

When Sahaja Yamalapalli was injured, Vaidehi Chaudhari stepped in and provided two important wins. Meanwhile, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty proved to be a solid asset for the team, as the 23-year-old won each of the five matches she played through the week. Including, fighting from behind to give India a winning start on Saturday.

The player from Hyderabad beat Sohyun Park 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(5) in the first match of the day before Sahaja lost to Dayeon Back 6-3, 6-4 as the Koreans levelled the tie.

The tie between the two countries was essentially a shoot-off for the final playoff spot. And with the score at 1-1, the responsibility fell on the shoulders of Raina and Thombare to secure the win.

The duo has been blowing hot and cold this week. They lost three doubles matches this week. But on Friday, they played with aggression and intent. Raina was strong off the baseline while Thombare was agile and quick at the net. They rallied, moonballed, smashed, volleyed and hammered home winners to seal the tie with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Park and Dabin Kim.

Amidst the celebrations on the court, Uppal made clear one important message. “Your girls have a lot of potential,” he announced to the crowd. “Back your girls.” What he had dubbed as ‘Project Playoffs’ for his team at the start of the week was now complete.