Billie Jean King Cup 2025 play-offs: Indian tennis team loses 3-0 to Netherlands

The Indian women’s tennis team lost 3-0 to the Netherlands in its final Group G match of the Billie Jean King Cup 2025 play-offs at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday.

In the opening singles match, Netherlands’ Anouk Koevermans delivered a composed performance to defeat India’s world No. 381 Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 6-2, 6-4.

Koevermans broke early to establish a 2-1 lead in the first set and maintained control throughout. The Indian tennis player mounted a brief fightback in the second set, but the higher-ranked Dutch player held firm to close out the match convincingly.

“I told the captain I wanted to run for every ball because it keeps me focused and forces my opponent to make more mistakes, and she did,” Koevermans said. “It’s very important to run for every ball to stay in the game, so that’s what I did.”

The second singles rubber saw Suzan Lamens, ranked 89th in the world, beat India’s Sahaja Yamalapalli - the world No. 309 and India’s top-ranked tennis player - with a 6-2, 6-3 scoreline.

After going down in the first set, Yamalapalli bagged an early break in the second set. However, Lamens stayed in control with two breaks to seal a convincing victory.

“It was a tough match. Suzan’s a very good player with a lot of experience. She was challenging me every point; she didn’t give me any unforced errors and I had to be in there every single point,” Yamalapalli said. “It was challenging, but it’s also a good experience because it shows me the level I want to get to and what I need to learn.”

The tie concluded with the doubles rubber, where Lamens teamed up with Demi Schuurs to take on India’s Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare.

The Dutch duo dominated from the start, conceding just one game in the first set before racing to a 3-0 lead in the second. Maintaining complete control, Lamens and Schuurs sealed a 6-1, 6-1 victory, giving the Netherlands a clean sweep.

India’s hopes of making it to the qualifiers of the Billie Jean King Cup had ended on Saturday after a 2-1 loss to Slovenia in their Group G opener.

Slovenia, who had edged the Netherlands 2-1 in the opening tie, topped the group to advance to the 2026 qualifiers, while India and the Netherlands dropped back into their respective Regional Group I events for next year.

India had earned their spot in the play-offs after finishing second in the Asia-Oceania Group I event in April. Their only previous appearance at this stage came in 2021, when they lost 3-1 to Latvia away.

Formerly known as the Fed Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup is the premier international women’s team tennis competition and the counterpart to the men’s Davis Cup.

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