New Delhi: A few days before the Billy Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1 round-robin matches from April 7 to 11 in New Delhi, India faced several setbacks. Shrivali Bhamidipathi strained her groin and Vedihi Choudhary sprained her ankle during practice on Thursday. Zail Desai, who was playing a W15 tournament in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly known as Aurangabad), decided to walk over and respond in the semi-final stage. Non-playing captain Vishal Appal call
“Excited to be here and be part of the Indian team. Obviously, I’m sad that one of the players in the team got injured, I wish her a speedy recovery. It’s an honor to play for my country,” Zaheel said on the sidelines of the match in Delhi. “I’m very excited about it and I’m sure we’ll all go out on the court and give our best,” he continued.Appel said the injury changes came days earlier, giving the team a chance to make the necessary changes. Zele was brought in as cover for Videhi, should his ankle injury not recover. As it turned out, things didn’t get any better for the 455th ranked player. He has now left the Team India camp and started his rehabilitation process.“We knew about (Shrivali’s) injury before this week started, so we already thought about it and made the necessary changes in our plans that we needed to. And we have a lot of depth in our team and I believe in the five girls sitting with me that they have what it takes to qualify (for the playoffs),” said Uppal, who is the second non-playoff captain of his team.
Vaishnavi Adkar addresses a press conference ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup 2026 tennis tournament in New Delhi. (PTI)
India’s No. 1 Vaishnavi Udkar, Sahaja Yamalpalli, is tasked with leading India to a third play-off in six years. Ankita RainaRutoja Bhosle and Desai.Adkar, 21, topped the Indian singles chart on Monday and is expected to make her debut for the national team in the coming week. Ponekar earned her first call-up to the competition after winning the final of the W100 event in Bengaluru – the first by an Indian woman in more than a decade and also winning the ITF title earlier this season.But the lack of strong singles options, with Adkar being the highest ranked at 383, makes doubles crucial.“It’s an honor to be on this team representing the country. And it makes it even more special because we’re all on the same team. It’s very rare that we get to play on the same team and we’re on the same side of the subnet. So it’s really an honor to be on the same team and all these girls. And we’re just looking forward to the whole match.”
Vishal Appal during a press conference ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup 2026 tennis tournament in New Delhi. (PTI)
To be played in the round-robin format, India will have their challenge against Thailand on Tuesday. Other countries in the group are New Zealand, Indonesia, Republic of Korea and Mongolia. The top two teams after Saturday’s competition will advance to the playoffs.Appel played his cards close to his chest when it came to his strategy and nominations. She emphasized that the multiple options at her disposal show the depth of women’s tennis in India.“If I’m having trouble getting players for a tie, that’s a good problem to have. It just tells me there’s depth. So, I’m happy to have that problem because I don’t have players. “I think it’s a good problem for me and it also shows the depth of women’s tennis now. There are players, for example, Zale was playing a tournament just last week and we asked her to come here and she came here to be with the team,” said former Delhi-drafted player Uppal.Teams:India: Sahaja Yamalapalli, Vaishnavi Adkar, Zail Desai, Ankita Raina, Rutoja Bhosle.Indonesia: Janice Tejan, Prisca Madeleine Nogroho, Anjali Karana Junarto, Mediana Laviola Renama and Aldila Sotjiadi.Korea: Sohyun Park, Yoonhee Lee, Daeun Baek, Bo Yongjeong, Gyul Jung.Mongolia: Jargal Al-Tansaranai, Khongrzul Al-Darkhshig, Anu-Wijin Guntur, Oyungeril Khasbatar.New Zealand: Monique Berry, Valentina Ivanov, Ishidas and Erin Rotliff.Thailand: Patcharin Cheapchandej, Anchisa Chanta, Thasaporn Naklo, Peangtarn Plipuech and Kamonwan Yodpetch.Format of BJK Cup
- Each team plays the other team once.
- Each tie consists of three rubbers: 2 singles and 1 doubles match
- Will doubles be played if a team wins singles and leads 2-0? Yes, since tiebreaks also take into account set and games won.
- The top two teams after the five-day competition will be promoted to the play-offs (to be played in November 2026).
How tie rankings are decided:
- Highest Number of Wins (Relationships Won)
- If two teams are tied, their record will be equal
- If there is still no break, the rubber with the highest percentage wins.
- If there is still no break, the highest percentage of seats is won.
- If there is still no break, the highest percentage of games is won.
