Slovenia defeated India at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Play-offs Group G event in Bengaluru to book their place in the 2026 qualifiers after winning two draws in two days, while action at the other seven Play-off events will continue until the final day of play.
I just wanted to give my 100 percent and play my best tennis. I think I could. Definitely, a little disappointed that I couldn’t get the win for my team. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty
In the first draw of Day 2 in Hobart, Brazil beat Portugal 3-0 to set up a winner-takes-all showdown with hosts Australia in Group E, while Canada edged past Denmark 2-1 and will face hosts Mexico in Monterrey to determine the winners of Group A on Sunday.
In Europe, Romania defeated New Zealand 3-0, and Croatia defeated Colombia 2-1, and on day 3, Romania will play Poland in Group B, while Croatia will face the Czech Republic in Group C, with the winners advancing to the qualifiers.
There was drama in Group F for the second day in a row, with Belgium getting past Turkiye to keep the group alive, and the Belgians face Germany on Sunday.
2024 runners-up Slovakia suffered a second defeat of the week, falling to Switzerland in Cordoba, and the Swiss will play hosts Argentina on Sunday for a place in next year’s qualifiers.
Team Slovenia books their place at the 2026 Qualifiers / Facebook
India’s 23-year-old Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, ranked 381st on the WTA Tour, was pitted against a much more experienced opponent: Slovenian Tamara Zidanšek, the 2021 French Open semifinalist and former world number 22.
The opening match at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium was a meeting between a debutant on a big stage and a seasoned 27-year-old, who knew exactly when to shift gears.
The 6-foot-1 Indian played above her ranking and pushed her opponent to 3 sets before going down in 2 hours and 19 minutes on Saturday, 6-3 4-6 6-1.
“I just wanted to give my 100 percent and play my best tennis. I think I was capable of doing that. Definitely a bit disappointed that I couldn’t get the win for my team,” Bhamidipaty said after the match.
With the home crowd behind her, Bhamidipaty needed time to find her rhythm, eventually getting on the board herself in the 29th minute, but by then Zidansek had taken the lead, 4-1, eventually sealing the opener on 51 minutes.
The second set proved to be a different story as Bhamidipaty took a 2-0 lead and extended it to 5-1.
Zidansek made a brief comeback but the Indian, who fired six aces that day, held his nerve to force the rubber in a deciding set.
Zidansek took advantage of Bhamidipaty’s subsequent dip in form in the third to race into a 5-1 lead, closing the door on any hopes of a late Indian comeback.
In the end, Slovenia had good reason to celebrate as 98th-ranked Kaja Juvan secured a 6-4 6-2 win over India’s Sahaja Yamalapalli in an hour and 30 minutes to claim the rubber between the two No. 1 players.
In the dead doubles, the Indian duo Ankita Raina & Prarthana Thombare achieved a come-from-behind 1-6 6-3 [10-7] Hika Radisic & Jakopovic from Slovenia are the need of the hour.
However, Slovenia had faced a spirited challenge from hosts India, confident they would progress to the 2026 qualifiers as the outright winners of Group G with their 2-1 win, while India and the Netherlands, defeated by Slovenia on Friday, will battle it out on Sunday.
Victoria Mboko guided 2023 champions Canada to victory over Denmark in Group A
Meanwhile, teenager Victoria Mboko guided 2023 champion Canada to a winning start in Group A.
Mboko, the Canadian No. 1, played in Monterrey, Mexico and won her singles match to help Canada level the tie with Denmark at 1-1 after Rebecca Munk Mortensen defeated Cadence Brace 3-6 7-6(4) 7-6(4) in the opening rubber.
For a player who has never been in the Top 500 of the WTA Singles Rankings, 20-year-old Munk Mortensen knows how to play in the big matches and put Denmark ahead with a spirited performance, surviving 9 match points to beat Brace in an epic match lasting 3 hours and 38 minutes.
The two 20-year-olds, with a big gap in their rankings, Munk Mortensen is 595th in the WTA rankings, while Brace is number 184 in the world, and possibly played the match of the Play-offs.
Every time the Dane was pushed into a corner, whether losing the first set, match point on Brace’s serve in the second, or trailing 0-40, 5-6 in the deciding set, she came out fighting.
In those critical moments, her forehand blinded the game and upset her opponent.
The 12th marathon match, which lasted more than 10 minutes and stretched to 6 deuces, told the story of the match in a nutshell.
Brace had eight chances to break Munk Mortensen’s serve and close out the match, but the Dane had one game point and pounced on it to stretch things into the tiebreak, where her composure and perseverance on the big points helped the Dane cross the finish line.
The 19-year-old Mboko then returned to the court with Gabriela Dabrowski in doubles, and together they secured the decider, 6-2 6-4, for Canada.
Jan Fett (L) & Parish of Croatia.
Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Starsport.rs
In Group F, Turkiye could not repeat their heroics from Day 1, losing 2-1 to Belgium.
That result gives sixth-placed Germany a lifeline in the group standings and sets up an intriguing final day of action, with all three teams still in the race to progress.
New Zealand and Portugal suffered their second consecutive 3-0 defeats, against Romania and Brazil respectively, and will drop into Regional Group I in 2026 along with India, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Denmark and Colombia.
Slovakia was defeated 2-1 by Switzerland on Saturday, while Colombia lost to Croatia by the same scoreline in Group D.
Slovenia is the only team so far to secure first place and progression to the BJK Cup qualifiers, setting up an exciting Day 3 on Sunday.
In each of groups A, B, C, D and E, the final tie will effectively act as a knockout, with the winning team advancing to the qualifiers.
The equation is a little more complicated in Group F, where Turkiye, Germany and Belgium all still have a chance.
While Belgium can go further if they win by some margin over Germany on Sunday, Germany will need to win 3-0 to secure their progression.
If Germany wins 2-1, all three teams will end up with 1-1 draw, win-loss and 3-3 matches, win-loss; the group is determined based on the percentage of sets won.
Here’s an overview of all the results in the Play-off groups so far, and the remaining schedule:
billiejeancup.com
Day 2 Detailed results
Group A – Canada and Denmark 2-1
Club Sonoma, Monterrey, Mexico
- Rebecca Munk Mortensen (DEN) d. Cadence bracket (CAN) 3-6 7-6(4) 7-6(4)
- Victoria Mboko (CAN) d. Johanne Christine Svendsen (DEN) 7-5 6-3
- Gabriela Dabrowski/Victoria Mboko (CAN) d. Emma Kamper/Johanne Christine Svendsen (DEN) 6-2 6-4
Group B – Romania defeated New Zealand 3-0
Arena Gorzow, Gorzow Wielkopolski, Poland (hard, indoor)
- Elena Ruxandra Bertea (ROU) d. Vivian Yang (NZL) 6-2 6-1
- Gerila Lee (ROU) d. Tsse Tsse (NZL) 4-6 6-1
- Mara Gae/Monica Niculescu (ROU) d. Jade Otway/Erin Routliffe (NZL) 6-2 3-6 [10-5]
Group C – Switzerland defeated Argentina 2-1
Córdoba Lawn Tennis Club, Cordoba, Argentina (clay, outdoor)
- Viktoria Hruncakova (SVK) d. Susan Bandecchi (SUI) 7-5 6-2
- Simona Waltert (SUI) d. Rebecca Sramkova (SVK) 6-4 6-4
- Celine Naef/Simona Waltert (SUI) d. Katarina Kuzmova/Nina Vargova (SVK) 7-5 6-3
Group D – Croatia defeated Colombia 2-1
Arena Varazdin, Varazdin, Croatia (hard, indoor)
- Petra Marcinko (CRO) d. Yuliana Lizarazo (COL) 6-3 6-0
- Camila Osorio (COL) d. Antonia Ruzić (CRO) 6-1 6-3
- Jana Fett/Petra Marcinko (CRO) d. Yuliana Lizarazo/Camila Osorio (COL) 6-4 6-3
Group E – Brazil defeated Portugal 3-0
Domain Tennis Centre, Hobart, Australia (hard, outdoor)
- Nauhany Vitoria Leme da Silva (BRA) d. Matilde Jorge (POR) 7-5 6-4
- Laura Pigossi (BRA) d. Francisca Jorge (POR) 6-4 6-4
- Ingrid Martins/Luisa Stefani (BRA) d. Ines Murta/Angelina Voloshchuk (POR) 6-1 4-6 6-3
Group F – Belgium defeated Turkiye 2-1
Tennis Club Ismaning, Ismaning, Germany (hard, indoor)
- Ayla Aksu (TUR) d. Sofia Costoulas (BEL) 6-3 6-1
- Hane Vandewind (BEL) d. Zeynep Sound (TUR) 6-4 6-4
- Sofia Costoulas/Magali Kempen (BEL) d. Ayla Aksu/Ipek Oz (TUR) 4-6 7-6(1) 7-6(7)
Group G – Slovenia defeated India 2-1
SM Krishna Tennis Stadium, Bengaluru, India (hard, outdoor)
- Tamara Zidansek (SLO) d. Shrivalli Rashmikaa Bhamidipaty (IND) 6-3 4-6 6-1
- Kaja Juvan (SLO) d. Sahaja Yamalapalli (IND) 6-4 6-2
- Ankita Raina/Prarthana Thombare (IND) d. Dalila Jakupovic/Nika Radisic (SLO) 1-6 6-3 [10-7]
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