All posts tagged: BJK

After play-offs heartbreak last year, Ankita Raina and India set to start from scratch at BJK Cup

After play-offs heartbreak last year, Ankita Raina and India set to start from scratch at BJK Cup

Published by Webster

India qualified for the Billie Jean King (BJK) Cup Play-offs for only the second time last year, after finishing as the runners-up in Asia/Oceania Group I in Pune. They later played the Play-offs in Bengaluru, losing 0-3 to Netherlands and 0-2 to Slovenia. “It was amazing because in Pune we won and we qualified for the second time in history, which was huge, and we did it in India. Pune is where I trained, so it was special as well ,” Ankita Raina, who was a part of the team, fondly recalled in a conversation with The Bridge on Friday. “And then Bangalore again, it was special because we were having the playoffs in India for the first time, playing at home conditions, and we had a lot of crowd support. The organisation was amazing, so we couldn’t have asked for more. We missed very narrowly for qualifying,” she added. Speaking on the sidelines of a training session ahead of India’s 2026 BJK Cup Asia/Oceania Group I matches in Delhi, Raina reflected on the loss. …

BJK Cup 2025: India Look To Make A Mark In Asia-Oceania Group-1 At Home

BJK Cup 2025: India Look To Make A Mark In Asia-Oceania Group-1 At Home

Published by Webster

With India hosting the Asia-Oceania Group-1 round of Billie Jean King Cup 2025 for the first time, the hosts will be looking to capitalise on home conditions to make a mark for themselves in the prestigious tournament. Organised by MSLTA in association with AITA at the tennis stadium at the Balewadi Sports complex in Pune, the Billie Jean King Cup is the equivalent to the Davis Cup of men’s tennis, the biggest team competition for the distaff side of the game. The Indian team will clash against New Zealand, Chinese Taipei, Korea Republic, Thailand and Hong Kong China in the round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the tournament for a spot in the play-offs stage. “Everyone is looking forward to the tournament, and I think we are prepared. The team is bonding well, too, and we are waiting to get started. I would just tell them (the younger players) that you are playing for the country. Give your best. It’s a lot of people’s dream to be here and to …