BJK Cup: Mongolia won completely, South Korea’s challenge is imminent

New Delhi: India beat Mongolia 3-0 in the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup Asia/Oceania Group One, but their hopes of making it to the World Group playoffs remained shaky heading into the final day.The hosts performed brilliantly on Friday, not losing momentum at any stage to beat a listless Mongolia side. However, despite its resounding victory, India’s destiny is no longer entirely in its own hands. A 3-0 win against South Korea on Saturday is vital to keep their promotion hopes alive. India’s election campaign has been characterized by inconsistency. An unexpected loss to Thailand in their opening match continued to haunt the team, especially after their impressive bounce-back in a 3-0 sweep of New Zealand. However, the subsequent 0-3 loss to the Indonesian team was a major blow.The qualification equation is simple but demanding. India must beat South Korea 3-0 and hope Indonesia can beat South Korea as well, which will play into the ratio of innings and matches. Even so, progress is far from guaranteed. “We won’t dwell on Thailand’s defeat. The focus is on beating South Korea 3-0. That’s what matters now,” said India captain Vishal Uppal. Against Mongolia, India barely broke a sweat.Zeel Desai and Sahaja Yamalapalli won 6-0 and 6-0 respectively before Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale sealed the doubles draw.Zeel defeated 15-year-old Anu-Vjin Gantor in just 37 minutes, while Sahaja defeated Jargal Altansarnai in 42 minutes at the DLTA complex. Vaishnavi and Rutuja completed the formalities by defeating Khongorzul Aldarkhishig and Jargal Altansarnai 6-1, 6-0.