Disputed line calls proved to be the talking point even as Indian women shrugged off the 1-2 loss to Thailand in the opener to wallop New Zealand 3-0 in their second match in Asia-Oceania Group 1 competition of the Billie Jean King Cup in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Frustration nearly boiled over for Rutuja Bhosale at one point during the doubles rubber against New Zealand at the DLTA Complex.
“In a normal match, I might have been more aggressive, but here you also have to think of the team. At the end of the day, they are not going to change the call, so you just have to move on,” said the Asian Games mixed doubles gold medallist, who partnered Ankita Raina to win both their matches on the day.
Rutuja and Ankita outplayed Thasaporn Naklo and Peangtarn Plipuech 6-3 6-4 in a dead rubber as Patcharin Cheapchandej had already sealed the tie for Thailand with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 win over Sahaja Yamalapalli, a game that was suspended midway through the decider on Tuesday due to unseasonal rain.
Vaishnavi Adkar, who had lost to Aunchisa Chanta 1-6, 3-6 on Tuesday, found her lines to dispatch Aishi Das 6-2, 6-4. It could have been a much cleaner match for Vaishnavi had it not been for getting broken at 4-3 in the second set.
Sahaja Yamalapalli could be forgiven for feeling unfortunate with the rain suspension on Tuesday as she had the momentum in her favour, having won the second set. When play resumed Wednesday morning, Cheapchandej, already a break up, held serve to move 5-3 up.
Sahaja then stayed close on the Thai’s heels, making it 4-5. The Indian then had a breakpoint when Cheapchandej served for the match but squandered it with an unforced error.
But the Indian shrugged off the setback to score a smooth 6-1, 6-2 win over Valentina Ivanov in the afternoon to give the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead against New Zealand.
Rutuja and Ankita then made it a clean sweep with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Erin Routliffe, a two-time US Open doubles champion, and Monique Barry.
Captain Vishaal Uppal highlighted the significance of India winning the matches without losing a set against the Kiwis.
“In this format, everything matters — matches, sets, even games. Winning 3-0 today was very important for us. After losing to Thailand, our backs were against the wall. The only option was to come out swinging.
“It was a tough loss, but the way the girls responded today showed real character. We told ourselves we don’t back down, no matter who we are playing.”
Cross Court Winner 