In New Delhi, Vaishnavi Adkar and Sahaja Yamalapalli delivered impressive performances as India bounced back, defeating New Zealand 3-0 in their second match of the Billie Jean King Cup group stage.
Vaishnavi and Sahaja had previously lost to Thailand in a rain-affected match.
However, the hosts showed remarkable resilience, with both players maintaining composure in their singles matches against New Zealand, who were missing their star player, Lulu Sun.
Vaishnavi showcased improved control, defeating Aishi Das 6-2, 6-4 in an hour and 30 minutes.
Sahaja then defeated Valentina Ivanov 6-1, 6-3, securing India's victory.
In the doubles, Rutuja Bhosale and Ankita Raina defeated Erin Routliffe and Monique Barry 6-4, 6-2, completing the victory.
Vaishnavi vs. Das
Vaishnavi capitalized on Das's inconsistency to take control of the first set. Despite being 15-40 down, Vaishnavi broke Das after Das made several errors. She then held her serve to go 2-0 up.
Vaishnavi showed resilience in the third game, saving two break points, and maintained her lead as both players held serve to 3-1. Vaishnavi extended her lead by converting her second break point in the fifth game.
Despite Das breaking back, Vaishnavi responded immediately with another break and comfortably won the set 6-2, finishing with an ace.
In the second set, Vaishnavi remained composed despite Das's improved start. After leveling at 1-1, she broke Das in the third game and consolidated to lead 3-1.
Das mounted a late challenge, breaking back to level at 4-4 after Vaishnavi gave away a 40-0 lead. However, she quickly regained control, breaking again in the ninth game as Das made consecutive errors.
Serving for the match, Vaishnavi held her nerve, closing out the match after forcing another mistake from Das to secure the win.
"It was my first match in the Billie Jean King Cup, so I was definitely very nervous. I didn't handle my nerves well. But that was a lesson learned for me," Vaishnavi said.
"Coming on court today, I had to focus on what I do best. And all I had to do was go on court and give my best."
Sahaja vs. Valentina
In another intense baseline battle, Sahaja played well and took the court again for the second time on Wednesday.
She broke her opponent in the first game after converting two break points. The Indian was then broken by Valentina, but she broke back in the third game to go 2-1 up.
Sahaja controlled the rally and eventually won the opening set 6-1.
Sahaja continued her momentum in the next set. She remained in the rally and waited for her opponent to make mistakes. The Indian broke Valentina in the second game and then held her serve to go 3-1.
If the fifth game, a cross-court winner helped Sahaja move to 4-1, Valentina too held her serve as it was 4-2.
In the seventh game, Valentina looked solid from the baseline and broke Sahaja after forcing her into error, grabbing two break points. She sealed it when Sahaja hit the net.
In the next game, the Indian converted her fourth breakpoint to lead 5-3.
Serving for the match, Sahaja prevailed in another baseline duel. A superb drop earned her match point, and she sealed it when Valentina went long.
"I'm happy with the win. It was a tough match (against Thailand) to swallow. We expected a different result, we did what we could, we fought our heart out," Sahaja said.
"I wasn't happy with the strategies I executed (in the first match) so I told myself to do that better to close out the matches. We need to fight for every point, support each other, and see where it takes us."
Earlier in the day, Bhosale and Raina beat Thasaporn Naklo and Peangtarn Plipuech 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 11 minutes in the doubles, after Sahaja's narrow defeat in the second singles as India lost to Thailand.
A lot was riding on world No. 384 Sahaja as she resumed the match after it was halted due to rain on Tuesday evening.
However, the 25-year-old could not keep India in the hunt, losing 4-6, 6-1, 4-6 to Patcharin, ranked 449, in a match that lasted two hours and 25 minutes.
Resuming at 3-4 in the decider, Sahaja sent a forehand wide as Patcharin held serve to move 5-3 ahead.
The Indian then held her serve after a Patcharin backhand slice found the net, narrowing the gap to 4-5.
With the match on knife's edge, Sahaja produced some exceptional groundstrokes, dominating baseline exchanges. She even earned a break point when the Thai hit long.
However, she faltered at the crucial juncture, sending a forehand and a backhand long to hand the advantage back. A miscued return on the next point ended her resistance.
On Tuesday, debutant Vaishnavi Adkar had cracked under pressure, committing a flurry of unforced errors in a 1-6, 3-6 loss to Aunchisa Chanta.
