Day 2 of IPTL action began with UAE Royals taking on Manila Mavericks. The legends Mark Philippoussis of Mavericks and Goran Ivanisevic of Royals kicked things off in the first match of this tie. Both players possess a gigantic serve, and turned back the hands of time with their high level of play. Philippoussis’s game is remarkably crisp for a retired player, and edged Ivanisevic in a shootout in the first set 6-5.
Men’s singles ensued with Marin Cilic against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Cilic has been missing from singles action for several ties so far, so he must have recovered well enough to participate in this set. True enough, the reigning US Open did not disappoint. He took advantage of a lapse in concentration from Tsonga, and grabbed a crucial break to win the 2nd set, 6-4.
Trying to atone for his earlier set loss, Tsonga teamed up with Treat Huey in men’s doubles against Cilic and Nenad Zimonjic. The Manila team played with more flair, with Huey particularly outstanding in his intricate doubles play. The Mavericks edged Royals in a tight set, 6-4.
With the score being neck-to-neck so far, the UAE Royals banked on the mixed doubles experience of Mladenovic and Zimonjic to extend the lead. The pair did exactly what was required, playing an almost perfect set against Flipkens/Nestor to pull away from the Mavericks, 6-1.
Kristina Mladenovic carried forward her momentum into the final set, pinning Flipkens behind the baseline with her powerful strokes. Kirsten fought gallantly to weather the storm, but Mladenovic was too strong in the end, clinching the tie with a 6-4 win over the Belgian. The UAE Royals are obviously elated at the 26-21 result, as they suffered the worst defeat in the league just yesterday.
Winless so far in the league, Singapore Slammers face an uphill task against the current number 1 team of the league. The Indian Aces have won all their ties so far, and looked good to extend that winning streak. Serena Williams isn’t going to let the losing continue, as she fought her heart out against Ana Ivanovic. In a rematch of the WTA Championships round robin match, the results were similar as Serena grabbed the crucial break and won the set 6-4.
Trying to reverse her mixed doubles fortune, Serena tried her third different partner in a row, partnering Bruno Soares. Despite going off to a good start, it wasn’t enough as the more experienced Indian pairing of Bopanna/Mirza fought back. Bruno Soares was also guilty of committing errors during crucial points as his level dropped drastically. The Indian Aces proceeded to win the set 6-3.
Legend Andre Agassi was next against Aces’ Fabrice Santoro. The American’s game depended a lot on his timing, and the Magician is a master of disrupting the rhythm. Despite trying his best, a visibly upset Agassi lost the set tamely 2-6. This loss made the Singapore Slammers trail 11-16 in games, with another loss looming in the horizon.
Needing to win a convincing set, Tomas Berdych stepped up his game against Gael Monfils just at the right moment. The Czech was stingy in his errors, and capitalized on the showy but high-risk game of Monfils. Perhaps trying too hard to entertain the crowd rather than win the set, Gael paid the price as he lost 2-6 to Berdych, with the Singapore Slammer firmly back in the tie.
It is now up to the Aussie pairing of Hewitt/Krygios to win the set to give Singapore Slammers their first victory. Lleyton was the star of the pairing, commanding the points and making his presence felt at the net. It was a nail-biting finish to the night, with the Aussies edging the Indian Aces’ Monfils/Bopanna 6-5 in a 5 minute shootout.
With the score tied at 23 games all, a 7 minute men’s singles shootout was needed to break the tie. Buoyed by the boisterous home crowd support, Tomas Berdych raised his game against Monfils and made several fine shots to extend the lead. Eventually, the Czech clinched to tie with a 10-6 victory, ending the drought for Singapore Slammers. The team was obviously ecstatic at the result, with Serena celebrating with a dance on court post victory. It was a deserving win for the Slammers, and their reaction showed how much it meant to them to finally win a tie.
The last day of play will be an exciting one as Caroline Wozniacki will make her debut in IPTL in UAE Royals’ line-up with Singapore Slammers. Serena and Caroline had one of the matches of the year just last month in the WTA championships semi-finals, so the match between these 2 friends will be the spotlight of the day. Tickets are still available on the SportsHub website, so grab this last chance to watch the stars up close and personal!
About the writerAs an avid tennis fan, Sean Long keeps up to date with the happenings of the world of tennis. He lives and breathes tennis and also plays the sport. Aside from tennis, Sean maintains his health by sweating it out at the gym and enjoys food and travel.