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Sahaja Yamalapalli and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty listen to captain Vishal Uppal on the eve of the Asia-Oceania Billie Jean King Cup tennis in Pune, on Monday. | Photo: Kamesh Srinivasan
It will be a test of fire for India to ride on home advantage, and its collective strength as a team, in the Asia-Oceania Billie Jean King Cup tennis championship to be played at the Balewadi Stadium from Tuesday.
More than the top quality opponents from New Zealand, which has Wimbledon quarterfinalist Lulu Sun, Thailand, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, heat could be a major factor in testing the resilience of the Indian team in its attempt to qualify for the next stage.
Captain Vishal Uppal has done very well to prepare the team of Ankita Raina, Sahaja Yamalapalli, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, Vaidehi Chaudhari, Prarthana Thombare and the young reserve Maaya Rajeshwaran.
India will be playing the opening match, in the round robin format, against New Zealand on Tuesday. Unlike the Kiwi team, which may rely heavily on Lulu, India has three players ranked close to the top 300, who can pull their weight whenever called to serve the team’s cause.
Moreover, India could have the trump card in doubles with the superb combination of Ankita and Prarthana. Such team combinations are often decided on the strength of the doubles, and India could be second to none in that department.
In Shrivalli and Sahaja, the team has two explosive players, who are maturing well into all-round players, capable of facing the challenge from players of different style and craft. It should not be a surprise if the two play a big role in taking the team forward.
The trick would be to play top quality in three rubbers every day for five days, and spread the load nicely among the players. The Indian team is equipped to do it, even in the tough conditions.
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The host has done a splendid job in getting the focus on the event. Tournament Director Sunder Iyer ensured that the former players like Manisha Malhotra, Sai Jayalakshmy, Shruti Dhawan, Janaki Krishnamoorthy among others were invited for felicitation.
In fact, as the secretary of Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA), Sunder has been keen to get more women players involved in running the State association.
Radhika Tulpule is the coach of the team, and it may be recalled that former world No.1 and multiple Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza had won her first international doubles title with Radhika. in Manila in 2002.
Time flies, and Indian women’s tennis has indeed come a long way. The team had qualified for the play-off and competed well against Latvia a few seasons ago. There will be no dearth of effort from the current team to repeat the act..
Most importantly, Doordarshan was making all arrangements for the ‘live’ coverage of the event.
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Published – April 07, 2025 08:04 pm IST
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