New Delhi: Vaishnavi Adkar held all the cards in India’s tough tie against Indonesia in the Billie Jean King Cup (Asia Oceania Group 1) at the DLTA courts here. With world No. 41 Janice Tjen set to play the second singles against Sahaja Yamalappalli and also return for the doubles, Vaishnavi’s match against Priska Madelyn Nugroho was decisive. The 21-year-old Vaishnavi has just broken into the top 400 in the rankings, backed by some remarkable showings in the ITF circuit at home, but she is still on a learning curve.
In the heat of the battle, Vaishnavi lost to Priska 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (7-3), 3-6 after a draining, three-hour duel. Sahaja, ranked 385th in the world, had a herculean task against Janice, a player from the Grand Slam league. The Indonesian swiftly ended the match with a clinical 6-2, 6-1 win in an hour.
The doubles pair of Ankita Raina and Rutuja Bhosale stretched the formidable Indonesian combination of Janice and the seasoned Aldila Sutjiadi, a Grand Slam regular, but lost 3-6, 7-6 (7-4). The Indian pair came back strong after losing the first set but lost six set points. They eventually saved three match points before.
“It was the day of missed chances. We had many chances in the first singles match and even in the doubles match. Something to learn is that when you get your chances you need to convert them,” said captain Vishal Uppal.
The 3-0 loss against Indonesia means it is highly unlikely that India will progress to the playoffs from this group. Korea and Indonesia have won all three ties so far and are placed in the top two. India have Korea and Mongolia to face next.
Things could have been different had Vaishnavi won the first singles and put Indonesia under pressure. She had the opportunities as well. When she took the first set in a tie-break, the Indian bench throbbed with excitement. But then she just couldn’t deliver on the promise.
A stubborn Priska bounced back to draw level, even though she struggled with an injury on her right leg midway through the second set and took a medical timeout. That perhaps was the moment Vaishnavi would regret not capitalising on. Up and running in the decider, Priska broke Vaishnavi in the fifth game, then held her serve for a 4-2 lead. Serving to save the match in the ninth game, Vaishnavi saved a match point with a brilliant forehand cross-court winner before her backhand sailed long, dashing all hopes.
“It was all about a few points here and there where I should have been more solid. These are the matches where you learn from. Once you start playing higher-level tournaments and opponents, you have to fight for every point. So, every aspect needs to be very solid and strong,” said Vaishnavi.
Sahaja did play some bold shots, going for the lines and even getting a break in the second game of the first set. But matching Janice in speed and strokes was always going to be tough. With her strong service, Janice finished games quickly and struck winners from difficult positions on the court that kept Sahaja stranded.
