India beat South Korea 2-1 to qualify for playoffs

The Indian women’s tennis team confirmed their playoff berth after bagging second place at the Billie Jean King Cup 2025 Asia-Oceania Group 1.

The hosts progressed to the next round after registering a 2-1 win against the People’s Republic of Korea in their final game of the tournament at the Mahalunge Balewadi Tennis Complex in Pune on Saturday.

This is only the second time that India have qualified for the playoffs of the Billie Jean King Cup having previously done so in 2020. Along with India, it was New Zealand who secured top spot in Billie Jean King Cup 2025 Asia-Oceania Group 1.

It was a dream debut at the Billie Jean King Cup for Shrivalli Bhamidipaty as she maintained her unblemished record in the tournament.

Playing against 248-ranked Park So-hyun, Shrivalli surrendered a hard-fought first set before taking charge to storm a comeback. The youngster from Hyderabad registered her fifth consecutive win, sealing the deal with a scoreline of 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in 2 hours and 52 minutes.

Heading into the second singles match with a one-nil lead for India, Sahaja Yamalapalli took centre court to play against Back Da-yeon. The Indian showed resolve and determination despite suffering an early setback in both sets. Trailing 1-5 in the second set, Sahaja fought till the end but eventually fell short by a 3-6, 4-6 scoreline in an hour and 45 minutes.

With all to play for and a playoff spot at stake, India’s vastly experienced doubles duo of Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare stepped up when it mattered most, helping the team over the line against Park So-hyun and Kim Da-bin.

The Indian tennis players held their nerve, making sure they complement each other at the net and baseline, finding the right angles to help them secure a 6-4, 6-3 victory in an hour and 15 minutes.

Saturday’s win means that India won four out of their five matches at the Billie Jean King Cup 2025. Their only loss came against New Zealand in the tournament opener.

The Indian tennis team will now move to the playoffs of the Billie Jean King Cup 2025 and will play alongside the best-performing teams from the 2025 Regional Group I events. The playoffs will be contested as groups of three teams with the winners advancing to the 2026 qualifiers.

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