New Delhi, April 11 Ankita Raina put up a spirited fight before losing in straight sets to South Korea's Dayeon Back, as India were eliminated from the World Cup Play-offs race in the Billie Jean King Cup here on Saturday, the final day of the competition.
Starting the day ranked fourth, India needed a 3-0 win over Korea to break into the top two. Captain Vishal Uppal opted to field his most experienced player, Ankita, to begin the crucial tie, but Dayeon Back overcame the home challenge to break Indian hearts.
Ranked 581 and aged 33, Ankita played her heart out against the 343rd-ranked Korean, but it was not enough as she lost 1-6, 5-7 in one hour and 55 minutes. Ankita had not played a singles match before this match in the tournament, competing only in doubles.
India will now strive to win the remaining two matches, and with a likely fourth-place finish, they will remain in Group I of the Asia/Oceania.
Ankita had multiple chances in the match but failed to capitalize at key moments. She capitalized on a weak backhand slice return to earn two break points in the opening game but failed to convert either.
She faced a break point in the following game when her drop shot was punished by Dayeon, but saved it after a long rally, finishing with an overhead volley winner.
However, Ankita offered another break chance after netting a forehand following six deuce points, and this time the Korean capitalized, striking a forehand winner off another weak drop shot.
Ankita's repeated use of the drop shot proved puzzling as Dayeon handled them comfortably, often finishing points with winners.
After nearly 30 minutes, the Korean had surged to a commanding 3-0 lead. It soon became 4-0 when Ankita netted a forehand on a deep return and another drop-shot error handed Dayeon the point.
Much to the delight of the sparse home crowd, Ankita got on the board by breaking Dayeon in the next game, but there was no shift in momentum. She dropped serve again in the seventh game to concede the opening set, yet another drop shot landing wide proving costly.
Ankita significantly cut down on her unforced errors in the second set and even held serve at love, staying neck-and-neck with Dayeon till the eighth game. Growing in confidence, she urged the crowd to cheer louder after executing a stunning drop shot in the seventh game.
She then had a chance to take the lead in the eighth game when Dayeon made a string of unforced errors. Ankita squandered the first break point but earned another, which she converted after the Korean sent a return long.
Ankita could not capitalize on the break and dropped her serve immediately. The final slide came when at 30-15 she could not pick up a half-volley, followed that with consecutive returns on the, allowing Dayoen to serve out the match in the next game.