Tennis: India’s Billie Jean King Cup 2025 qualification hopes end with losses to Slovenia and the Netherlands
European heavyweights too strong for India in BJK Cup Playoffs
India’s journey to qualification for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup was brought to an end this past weekend when they suffered back-to-back defeats in Group G to Slovenia (2-1) and the Netherlands (3-0) at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium.
Slovenia went on to top the standings, having beaten the Dutch team 2-1 in their opening tie. India ended bottom of the table, and both they and the Netherlands dropped back into their Regional Group I events for next year.
Against the Netherlands on Sunday, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty was defeated in straight sets by Anouk Koevermans 6-2, 6-4, while in the second singles rubber, world number 89, Suzan Lamens, overcame Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-2, 6-3 to confirm our tennis predictions. Yamalapalli said in her post-match interview:
“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. 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.”
In the final leg of the tie, Ankita Rain and Prarthana Thombare teamed up to face Lamens and Demi Schuurs, but the Dutch duo dominated from the off and completed the 3-0 clean sweep against India 6-1, 6-1.
Team India qualified for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs by finishing second in the Asia-Oceania Group I competition in April. Their only previous appearance in these Playoffs was in 2021 when they were eliminated by Latvia.
Alcaraz to miss Davis Cup Finals due to injury
Over in Italy, the 2025 Davis Cup has reached the business end of the competition, with the host nation, Austria, France, Belgium, Spain, the Czech Republic, Argentina, and Germany making up the final eight teams challenging for the “World Cup of tennis” title.
The action kicked off yesterday with France taking on Belgium, while later this afternoon, Italy and Austria are set to lock horns, and you can get all the key insights by checking out our expert’s Italy vs. Austria prediction.
However, Spain’s hopes of securing victory took a significant knock on Tuesday morning, when Carlos Alcaraz confirmed that he was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a hamstring injury sustained in the ATP Finals against Jannik Sinner on Sunday. He said:
“I'm so sorry to announce that I won't be able to play for Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna. I have an oedema in my right hamstring and the medical recommendation is not to compete."
While Alcaraz has won almost every major title there is, the Davis Cup is one that has eluded him. He debuted in 2022 but missed the competition in 2023 also due to injury. Last year, Spain were eliminated in the opening round of the Final 8.
