New Zealand defeat India in Billie Jean King Cup opener

New Zealand has got its Billie Jean King campaign off to a great start with a 2-1 win over host nation, India in the Asia/Oceania Group I tournament.

In the opening match of the tie, Aishi Das, making her Billie Jean King Cup debut, lost 6-1 6-1 to Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty.

That was followed by Lulu Sun’s 6-3 6-3 win over Sahaja Yamalapalli, with the New Zealand No 1 serving superbly, sending down five aces and not having to defend any break points against her.

With the tie level at 1-1, it all came down to the deciding doubles match and New Zealand captain Matt Hair went with his most experienced combination of Sun and Monique Barry for this.

It worked out well, as Sun and Barry defeated Ankita Raina and Prarthana G Thombare 6-4 6-3 to secure a 2-1 victory.

Prior to the tournament, Hair regarded India as one of the stronger teams in this six-nation event and to beat the host country on centre court in the first tie is a promising start for New Zealand.

The next tie for New Zealand is against South Korea on Wednesday. Their top ranked player is Back Dayeon, who is ranked 299 in the world, and could go up against Sun. But with their No 2, Park Shoyun at 305 in the rankings, they are a team with good depth.

The top two nations in the round-robin tournament, advance to the World Group playoffs in November and after defeating India, a victory over South Korea would put New Zealand into a strong position to be one of those countries.