Kamal Ghorui
DOMINANT: Sahaja Yamalapalli beat Jargal Altansarnai 6-0, 6-0
NEW DELHI: India stayed alive in the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup Asia/Oceania Group I with a commanding 3-0 victory over Mongolia but their hopes of reaching the World Group playoffs remain precariously balanced heading into the final day.The hosts delivered a clinical performance on Friday, overcoming a listless Mongolian side without conceding momentum at any stage. However, despite the emphatic win, India’s fate is no longer entirely in their own hands. A must-win tie against South Korea on Saturday — by a 3-0 margin — is essential to keep their qualification hopes alive. India’s campaign has been defined by inconsistency. The unexpected opening loss to Thailand continues to haunt the team, especially after they bounced back impressively with a 3-0 sweep of New Zealand. However, a subsequent 0-3 defeat to Indonesia dealt a major blow.
The qualification equation is straightforward yet demanding. India must beat South Korea 3-0 and hope Indonesia beat Korea as well, which would bring set and game ratios into play. Even then, advancement is far from guaranteed. “We are not going to dwell on the Thailand loss. The focus is to beat Korea 3-0. That’s all that matters now,” India captain Vishal Uppal said. Against Mongolia, India barely broke a sweat.Zeel Desai and Sahaja Yamalapalli both registered 6-0, 6-0 wins before Vaishnavi Adkar and Rutuja Bhosale sealed the doubles tie.While Zeel blanked 15-year-old Anu-Vjin Gantor in mere 37 minutes, Sahaja drubbed Jargal Altansarnai in 42 minutes at the DLTA complex. Vaishnavi and Rutuja outclassed Khongorzul Aldarkhishig and Jargal Altansarnai 6-1, 6-0 to complete the formalities.
