India’s Vaishnavi Adkar suffered a frustrating outing as a string of unforced errors led to a straight-sets defeat against Aunchis Chant that gave Thailand a 1-0 lead in their opening Asia-Oceania Group I match at the Billie Jean King Cup on Tuesday.
Despite being ranked 73 places higher at 383, Vaishnavi he struggled to equalise, losing 1-6, 3-6 in an hour and 13 minutes on the DLTA Center Court. The match got underway after a delay of more than three hours due to persistent drizzle, with cooler conditions adding another layer of challenge.
Vaishnavi got off to a nervous start and dropped serve in the opening game due to a flurry of errors. She mounted a brief resistance in the overtime third game, saving three break points to stretch the match to seven deuces, but Aunchisa held her nerve and secured a 3-0 lead with a crisp backhand winner down the line.
The Thai left-hander, who uses a rare two-handed forehand, controlled progress from the baseline and raced to a 4-0 advantage. Vaishnavi managed to get on the scoreboard in the fifth game, but the pace remained firmly with Aunchis, who wrapped up the opening set in just 23 minutes as errors continued to plague the Indian.
The second set offered a glimmer of hope as Vaishnavi secured an early break but was unable to consolidate and promptly dropped serve. Inconsistency persisted, double faults crept in and groundstrokes extended repeatedly. Confessed love in the fourth game hurt her chances even more.
Vaishnavi attempted a late counter attack and broke Aunchisa in the seventh game to stay within range at 3-4. However, Aunchisa remained composed under pressure and saved two break points while serving for the match before sealing victory when Vaishnavi netted a backhand.
India now look to Sahaja Yamlapalli to take on Patcharin Cheapchandej in the second singles, with the hosts needing a win to stay alive in the play-offs.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
07 Apr 2026 20:13 IST
