Aishi Das: A New Zealand Teen Carrying Forward Her Father's Tennis Dream From Punjab

The cheers at Centre Court weren’t for her on Wednesday, when India defeated New Zealand 3-0 in the Billie Jean King Cup 2026 Asia/Oceania Group I tie at the DLTA Complex. They were for India. Yet New Zealand’s Aishi Das heard them as her own.

Her father’s tennis story in Punjab was brief, but it sparked everything. The moment he picked up a racket, it was love at first sight.

“One time my father played in India for a few minutes when he was growing up,” Aishi told Outlook. “He was really young, but he always knew that if he had a daughter, he’d put her into tennis. And so here I am.”

When Aishi was seven, her father placed a racket in her hands. A few casual hits together turned into coaching, then joining a local club.

A decade later, that small beginning has grown into something real, an 18-year-old, currently ranked No. 109 in juniors singles, representing New Zealand, still chasing the journey her father first imagined.

She could have taken another path. Like a true Kiwi kid with Indian roots, cricket was always around her: her brother played, her father bowled, and she spent afternoons in the field, chasing balls and taking the odd swing herself. But tennis stayed.

“My brother played cricket. When I was little, dad would take me out. He’d be bowling, my brother would be batting, and I’d just be in the field catching balls,” she said.

On Wednesday at the DLTA, she stood on Centre Court against India’s Vaishnavi Adkar in the opening match of the tie. She lost 6-2, 6-4.

In the stands, her cousin Osheen Das sat wearing a kurti. She was the only one cheering for Aishi, for a New Zealander, and everyone noticed. The stands were filled with support for India, but when the noise dipped, Aishi heard only one voice: her cousin’s. Amid all the Indian cheers, it became her anchor.

"When they were cheering for India, I kind of felt like they were cheering a little bit for me as well. And having my cousin there, cheering when no one else was, that was the only thing I was hearing. It was really, really nice," Aishi said.

Osheen felt the stares. People were wondering why a girl in traditional Indian wear was cheering for the opposite team. "I felt awkward initially, because people started looking at me, rolling their eyes, wondering why I'm cheering for the opposite team. But I was there for my sister," she said.

Following her Indian roots, Bollywood is a big part of Aishi’s everyday life. Her comfort watch is Shaandaar, the film she turns to when things get rough and she needs an easy laugh. Her favourite song is “Naina” from Dangal.

She eats chaat and mishti doi at an Indian restaurant twenty minutes from her house, the same order every two or three weeks. Her playlist leans English, but the Dangal theme finds its way in too.

Before a match, she keeps it simple. "What's helped me is just being by myself, listening to music. I like spending time in my own mind. And then with my coach, just getting a bit of movement in before I go on court," she said.

The transition from juniors to seniors is only just beginning. She hasn’t stepped onto the WTA Tour yet, but she knows what’s coming. "Everyone wants to be there and wants to win. I’m just going to try my best. Starting off, it’ll be okay, and we’ll see how it goes," she said.

“Being from New Zealand, tennis isn’t as intense as here. There aren’t that many players. By the time they get to my age, most drift away. It’s really tough, the long days, the losses, the grind. Without a good support system, it just catches up on you,” she added.

Erin Routliffe’s Influence On Aishi Das’ Game

At the BJK Cup, she found herself alongside Erin Routliffe, a two-time US Open winner and former world number one in doubles.

"Being part of a team and sharing the same environment as top players is pretty cool. Throughout the week, I asked Erin so many questions about life, handling the sport, and how to stay normal-ish. She has helped me so much. She’s just an amazing person to be around, funny, down-to-earth, and someone I really enjoy spending time with. You learn a lot from her," Aishi said.

The loss to Adkar stings, she said. But at eighteen, still finding her feet in senior tennis, she is learning fast. On Thursday, 9 April, she was part of the New Zealand doubles team, partnering Valentina Ivanov in a match against Back Da-yeon and Lee Eun-hye of the Republic of Korea.

New Zealand went down in the tie, but for Aishi, it was another step in a steep learning curve, one she is just beginning to climb.