Torrential rains disrupted the Billie Jean King Cup Asia/Oceania Group I Qualifier at Delhi’s DLTA courts on Tuesday, handing Thailand a narrow advantage over India on Day 1. Play was postponed for almost three hours, starting late evening, where Thailand’s Ankisa Chanta stunned India’s Vaishnavi Adkar to claim the opener.
Adkar, making her competition debut at world No. 383, faltered against Chanta’s aggressive play. The Thai star built a commanding 4-0 lead en route to a 6-1 first set win. Adkar battled back in set two with an early break, but Chanta won four consecutive games. Despite Adkar narrowing the gap to 4-3, Chanta broke serve again and closed out 6-3, improving her singles tally to 8-1.
Momentum shifted in the second rubber as Sahaja Yamalapalli traded sets with Patcharin Cheepchandej. The Thai veteran pocketed the opener 6-4 after Yamalapalli surrendered an early break but fought level. Yamalapalli dominated set two 6-1, forcing a decider. Cheepchandej surged to 4-3 before downpours forced suspension until 11 AM Wednesday.
Doubles loom large tomorrow with Ankita Raina and Rutuja Bhosle tasked with leveling the tie against Thasaporn Naklo and Pengtawan Plipuech. India’s schedule continues against New Zealand.
In other results, South Korea whitewashed Mongolia, winning both singles and doubles without concession. Indonesia’s Janice Jan (world No. 41, the highest-ranked in singles here) and Priska Nugroho secured a 2-0 over New Zealand, with doubles pending due to rain.
The round-robin format runs through Saturday, top two progressing. Look for Thailand-South Korea and Indonesia-Mongolia clashes on Wednesday.
