BJK Cup: Vaishnavi Adkar impresses but Indonesia prevail over India

NEW DELHI: India’s Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup campaign on Thursday unfolded as a tale of two contrasting singles matches against Indonesia — one highlighted by grit and near-misses, the other a stark reminder of the gulf at the very top of women’s tennis.The headline act belonged to Indonesia’s No. 1, Janice Tjen, World No. 41, who lived up to her billing with a dominating 6-2, 6-1 win against the hosts’ No. 2 Sahaja Yamalapalli. But before her commanding performance, it was India’s young hope Vaishnavi Adkar who captured attention with a valiant, energy-sapping battle. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Facing Priska Madelyn Nugroho, Vaishnavi entered the match with a slight rankings edge — 383 to 419 — and the belief that this was a winnable tie before losing 7-6 (3), 6-7 (3), 6-3. For long stretches at the DLTA stadium, she justified that expectation. After a tentative start, trailing 0-2, the 21-year-old from Pune steadied herself, cutting down unforced errors and matching her opponent stroke for stroke.The opening set turned into a test of nerve, with both players trading breaks before Vaishnavi edged the tiebreak 7-3. She showed flashes of brilliance, particularly with her forehand returns, and demonstrated a fighting spirit that kept India in the contest.Yet, inconsistency at crucial moments proved costly. In the second set, despite recovering from another early deficit and even holding a match point at 5-4, Vaishnavi couldn’t close it out. Priska forced a tie-break, and this time held her nerve to level the match.