Living a dream

New Delhi, March 8

The Indian women’s tennis team was in a state of disbelief long after it had entered a territory never explored by its predecessors — a place in the Fed Cup playoffs.

The Indian Fed Cup team created history on Saturday by progressing to the playoffs for the first time ever, with Ankita Raina leading the side to a 2-1 win over Indonesia in Dubai. India finished second in the six-team group with four wins in a row after losing the opening tie to China, who remained unbeaten in the tournament. The top-two teams from the group advanced.

In the past, Ankita would take most of the workload, but with the rise of Karman Kaur Thandi, the team began to challenge tougher opponents. Karman pulled out this year due to a foot injury. In her absence, Rutuja Bhosale perfectly fit into the scheme of things. Captain Vishal Uppal showed faith in her, preferring the Pune girl over the higher-ranked Riya Bhatia and she did not disappoint.

She won three singles matches while Ankita won two singles and combined with the seasoned Sania Mirza to win three doubles as well. “I had dreamt of this and believed but after the tie I couldn’t actually believe, I asked Rutuja twice if we actually qualified,” Ankita told PTI from Dubai. “It’s just great to be a part of something so special that’ll be recorded in history and it’s an honour to have a chance to do with Sania, especially after her pregnancy.”

Rutuja, 23, was also ecstatic at playing her role as expected and is hoping that the Fed Cup experience will help her on the Tour also. “It is such an honour to play for the country,” Rujuta said. “And for me it really means so much because I am coming off an injury and have struggled with it. It is a very good exposure for me as it will help me in the rest of the tour.” — PTI

Five seal Davis Cup Finals debuts

London: Five nations sealed their debuts in the revamped Davis Cup Finals in the weekend’s qualifiers while heavyweights Germany, Australia, United States and Croatia also booked their places in Madrid. Ecuador, Sweden, Hungary, Czech Republic and Austria will all be in next week’s draw for the 18-nation showdown at La Caja Magica in the Spanish capital in November, having missed the inaugural finals last year when the international teams event was revamped.

Ecuador’s 3-0 victory over Japan was less surprising than it might look as hosts Japan were without Kei Nishikori because of injury and world No. 48 Yoshihito Nishioka. Sweden beat Chile 3-1, Hungary claimed a thrilling 3-2 win over Belgium and Czech Republic won 3-1 against Slovakia. Austria, without world No. 3 Dominic Thiem, ended the hopes of Uruguay with a 3-1 win. Croatia beat India 3-1, Germany beat Belarus 4-1, while Colombia beat Argentina in a South American derby. Italy crushed South Korea 4-0 in Cagliari in another tie shorn of fans because of coronavirus concerns. Kazakhstan will be in Madrid for the second year after beating Netherlands. Lleyton Hewitt’s Australia beat Brazil 3-1, while the United States defeated Uzbekistan 4-0.

Last year’s winners Spain, runners-up Canada and losing semifinalists Britain and Russia, as well as wildcards Serbia and France did not need to play in the qualifiers. reuters