Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 11 (ANI): Vaidehi Chaudhary opened her Billie Jean King Cup 2025 Asia-Oceania Group 1 campaign with a win in straight sets in her very first match as India edged out Hong Kong 2-1 on the third day of the competition.

Vaidehi won the opening singles match 7-6, 6-1 against Ho Ching Wu. Although it was a tightly contested affair in the first set, as the game went on to a tie-breaker, which the Indian won, 10-8, it was smooth sailing ahead in the second set as she enjoyed a dominant win on her first day.

'This feeling of winning in my first match was really nice. The opponent was a little tricky. She was hitting very low balls, which were difficult to return, especially at the start when I was struggling with the rhythm. But gradually, I just kept going, and I took it one point at a time. The first set was difficult for me, but the team helped me get through it,' Vaidehi said, according to a press release,

The tournament is being hosted in Pune, and India will look to capitalise on its home advantage.

Despite losing on the first day against New Zealand, India made a strong comeback, winning against Thailand, Hong Kong, and China on the bounce. Vaidehi highlighted the mood in the Indian camp when she said, ' Everybody is very excited in the camp. We have to go for the playoffs, so we are determined to win all of our matches.'

She also highlighted the influence veterans Ankita Raina and Prarthana Thombare have on the team off the court. 'They are very experienced, and they help us youngsters a lot. They share their thoughts and learnings with us, which has helped us in performing well,' she explained.

Vaidehi also credited Captain Vishal Uppal and Coach Radhika Kanitkar Tulpule with India's strong run so far and touched upon their coaching approach.

'Both of them are very encouraging. Vishal sir is putting a lot of efforts and is supporting us in many ways. Apart from coaching and helping us improve our game, he is also training us to be strong mentally, which is crucial in big tournaments like this. Because even if you are tired physically, you need to be strong mentally to get back in the game,' she concluded. (ANI)