Riding on confident performances from Vaishnavi Adkar and Sahaja Yamlapalli, India made a spectacular comeback with a massive 3-0 win over New Zealand in the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group I match on Wednesday.

After losing 1-2 to Thailand in the rain-affected opening match, India showed sharp improvement in all three matches against the New Zealand team in the absence of their top player Lulu Sun.

Vaishnavi making her second appearance She looked much more composed and gave India the lead by defeating Aishi Das 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes.

She took advantage of Das’s inconsistency early on and recovered from 15-40 to get the first break and lead 2-0. The Indian held firm in the deuce exchanges for long periods and extended her lead with another break in the fifth game.

Although Das managed to get a break back, Vaishnavi responded immediately and finished the opening set 6-2 with an ace.

The second set was a tight one, with Das leveling at 4-4 after trailing 0-40. However, Vaishnavi regained control at the right time and broke again in the ninth game before crashing out of the match.

Vaishnavi said, “It was my first match as a player in the Billie Jean King Cup, so I was definitely very nervous. I didn’t handle my nerves well. But it was a lesson for me.”

“Coming onto the court today, I had to focus on what I do best. And I just had to go out on the court and do my best.”

Sahaja then sealed the tie with an impressive 6-1, 6-3 win over Valentina Ivanova in the second singles.

In a baseline-heavy contest, Sahaja dictated the game with his forehand and movement. She broke early and won the first set 6-1, then maintained the same pace in the second set.

After leading 3-1, Sahaja briefly lost serve in the seventh game, but quickly recovered to lead 5-3. Then he finished the match comfortably.

“I’m happy with the win. It was a tough match (against Thailand). We expected a different result, we did what we could, we fought our hearts out,” Sahaja said.

“I wasn’t happy with the strategies I implemented (in the first match) so I told myself to do it better to finish the matches. We need to fight for every point, support each other and see where it takes us.”

In doubles, Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina won 6-4, 6-2 over Erin Routliff and Monique Barry.

The result marks a strong turnaround for India after a disappointing start against Thailand, where Vaishnavi lost for the first time and Sahaja lost to Patcharine by a narrow margin in a three-set match.

India will look to carry this momentum forward as Group I ties continue.

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