BJK Trophy: Vaishnavi, Sahaja score milestone wins; India beat New Zealand

New Delhi: Like it delhi weather Over the past two days, from the cold on Tuesday night to the warm and hot on Wednesday afternoon, Vaishnavi Adkar’s luck and performance in the BJK Cup have also been contrasting.She let nerves define her debut with the national team when she was knocked down by a southpaw shot against Indonesia’s Aunchisa Chanta on Tuesday.A day later, in the Asia/Oceania Group 1 match against New Zealand, she scored with a forehand and her service error was mitigated. In a match that lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes, she defeated New Zealand’s Ash Das 6-2, 6-4 and achieved her first victory on behalf of the national team.

“This is something I’ve been looking forward to for years. Like being on the team, not just as a substitute but as one of the five players. So to get the win is really special because it means a lot. Because there’s a lot of emotion behind it,” she told reporters after the win.“So it feels really special. Especially being at home and having the support of the crowd and everything. It really means a lot,” she continued.The far more experienced Indian emerged as the top-ranked Indian this week, taking full advantage of the inconsistent performance of world No. 1151 Das. Ironically, Adka ended the first set with an ace less than 24 hours after her serve hit a low point multiple times. The 21-year-old was broken after his lead was cut, taking the second set to 4-4. But the Indian hit back immediately as Das’s number of errors went against her heading into the decider. She acknowledged that changing weather and conditions do play a role.“Yeah, when it’s cold, the ball moves a little faster. And when it’s warm, the ball feels heavy and moves a little bit slower. So it was definitely more controlled today than yesterday. So I think that really helped me a lot as well,” she said.

Vaishnavi was not the only Indian to celebrate a milestone win. Sahaja Yamalapalli also registered victory in Indian colors for the first time in the team event. Since her debut against the Chinese team in 2024, she has experienced competitions with New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Thailand, and finally only finished second.After losing in three sets to Patcharin Cheapchandej in play that resumed on Wednesday morning, Sahaja once again took to the court looking to claim her first win.It took her a full 76 minutes to defeat Valentina Ivanov 6-1, 6-3, not only sealing her first ‘W’ but also ensuring an unbeatable scoreline for India.“Of course I’m happy. I know my record in the BJK Cup wasn’t very good, but I also played very tough games. So it’s hard to get a W. But I’m happy to get a win.“I don’t want to look at it that way either. I want to take it one match at a time and focus on what I can do rather than my record,” she told TimesofIndia.com after the match.

Sahaja, who came through the American college system, struggled early but quickly recovered, winning his next eight games in a row, including the first set along the way.Ivanov tried to mount a comeback in the second set, bringing the ball back on serve and then saving three break points but was unable to fend off the fourth.Yamalapalli sealed the deal with his first chance of the game, forcing Ivanov into a mistake.Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina defeated Monique Barry and Erin Routliffe 6-4, 6-2 to beat India 3-0 for their second win of the day.

BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1 Day 1 Results

BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group 1 Day 2 Results