Billie Jean King Cup (previously Fed Cup) - India

[sameerph]

Rutuja loses 36 60 36.

Indonesian is a current 15th ranked junior.So, seems talented and she delivered here when mattered.

Does Ankita have anything left in the tank ?

[sameerph]

Ankita beats Sultajdi 63 64 to square it at 1-1.

We are still alive there. I seems live scores stopped working but someone from Dubai confirmed it for ITD.

[jayakris]

Yay!! Thank you, Sameer, and your Dubai friend... Ah, I was wondering what happened! Now the live scores are showing the Taiwan-Uzbek doubles match. Will our doubles match come on? Or is the problem only from the court where India is playing?

[sameerph]

Live scores worked for Rutuja's match and never came on again for Ankita match.

Hope they get it back again for deciding doubles.

[jayakris]

The other two doubles matches' live scores are on, so maybe ours will come on too? Perhaps giving Ankita and Sutjiadi some time to rest?

With Korea losing to China, we are assured of at least the third place, but only second place means anything. This doubles match is for all the marbles.

Ah the scoreboard comes on! The doubles match about to start... Warmup time.

Not a good start. After saving two BPs, our ladies are broken. 0-2. It's early. We break them back immediately and are serving at 1-2 now. We got broken again and it is now 1-4 ... The Indonesians have won 21 points to 12 by us, so our ladies need to regroup soon, using their experience.

[Dinesh]

That 16 yo Indonesian player Madelyn is the reigning AO junior doubles champion, but of course that shouldn’t trouble our much experienced Sania/Ankita pairing. Hopefully, we will win this in straight sets.

[sameerph]

From 1-4 to 4-4 now in first set.

[sameerph]

Sania-Ankita saved 3 set points,serving at 5-6,15-40 and then went in to win the first set 76(4).

[jayakris]

Phew. Stay ahead, ladies, stay ahead... Let the young girls get nervous, not us! Up a break at 2-0 in the second... 76(4) 20 ... We claw back from 0-30 on our serve... 76 30. Come on!

One more break for us... 76(4) 40 and serving. We hold serve after a couple of deuces. 5-0. One more game needed for the first world group appearance in our history! Go go go go go!!!

0-30... Two more points needed. 30-40 match point... GOT IT !!!! 76(4) 60.... Sankita!!!

[jayakris]

Loved the blitzkrieg from Sankita after the 1-4 start. They went 11-2 in games and won a TB there. They were not going to be denied.

Take a bow, team!!! You made history

How amazing.

Vishal Uppal becomes the first Indian captain to take a team to the world group.

[ankit1407]

Congratulations girls .. way to go ...

[sameerph]

Super stuff by our girls.

It seems like Ankita vomited again during her match . All credit to her to come back and win her match under pressure against a quality player and then also turning up for doubles and winning it too .

Also to Rutuja for winning 2 matches when it it mattered ime the,day Ankita lost her matches and of course Sania for guiding this team thru.

[RohitG]

Fantastic work by the Fed cup team. Ankita Raina has nerves of steel. Take a bow champ

Fitting that tomorrow is women's day.

[jayakris]

Yeah, they spilled blood and guts on the courts... Or at least some bad food out there

Final Standings:

China 5-0 (14-1)
India 4-1 (9-6)
S.Korea 2-3 (7-8)
Indonesia 2-3 (7-8)
Taiwan 2-3 (6-9)
Uzbekistan 0-5 (2-13)

[jayakris]

I see Sravanthi in the list of readers here, below. You still around, Sravanthi???