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The Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) is off to a cracking start in its third leg in India. The day started with second-placed UAE Royals taking on fourth-placed Singapore Slammers.
For the first time ever, the Indian crowd was getting to witness a huge range of international stars, and the players did not disappoint. Ultimately though, the firepower in the Royals team proved too much for the Slammers who are missing Serena Williams; UAE romped home to a comfortable victory.
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Here is how the action unfolded during the first match in Delhi.
Men’s singles: Marin Cilic (UAE Royals) vs Lleyton Hewitt (Singapore Slammers)
The current US Open champion took on a former US Open champion to open the proceedings in Delhi. It was the Royals’ man who got off to a flying start, racing to a 3-0 lead. Hewitt seemed to be taking some time to find his feet as the Australian was made to run all over the court.
It wasn’t looking good for the Slammers until Cilic looked to close out the set, having built a massive 5-1 lead. At that point Hewitt managed to pull two games back for the Slammers, signalling the start of a spirited comeback. But Cilic rediscovered his form just in time as the set finished 6-3 in favour of the UAE Royals.
Result: Cilic (UAE Royals) beat Hewitt (Singapore Slammers) 6-3.
Men’s doubles: Nenad Zimonjic/Marin Cilic (UAE Royals) vs Nick Kyrgios/Lleyton Hewitt (Singapore Slammers)
With the experience of Zimonjic and the strength of Cilic, the Royals’ pair looked firm favourites going into this tie. And the duo did not disappoint, showing their superiority over the Australian pairing of Kyrgios and Hewitt.
There were moments when Kyrgios was able to produce some magic, but it was not enough to stop the Royals from crusing to a convincing victory.
Result: Zimonjic/Cilic (UAE Royals) beat Kyrgios/Hewitt (Singapore Slammers) 6-2.
Legends’ singles: Goran Ivanisevic (UAE Royals) vs Patrick Rafter (Singapore Slammers)
With the Royals enjoying a health lead over the first two sets, the baton was handed over to Goran Ivanisevic to continue the trend against the Slammers’ Patrick Rafter. The Croat had beaten Rafter twice already in the tournament, and looked strong to make it three out of three.
And the former Wimbledon champion did just that, as he completely swept past his Australian counterpart. Opening up a huge lead at the start of the match, Ivanisevic only gave up one game as he enjoyed an overwhelming 6-1 victory.
Result: Ivanisevic (UAE Royals) beat Rafter (Singapore Slammers) 6-1.
Mixed doubles: Nenad Zimonjic/Kristina Mladenovic (UAE Royals) vs Nick Kyrgios/Daniela Hantuchova (Singapore Slammers)
In a very one-sided tie so far, it was up to Kyrgios and Hantuchova to stop the Royals’ train from running over the Slammers. The set proved to be closer than the previous sets but the result always looked like going in favour of one team. Once again, the Royals’ pair won the decisive points to take an evenly contested set.
Result: Zimonjic/Mladenovic (UAE Royals) beat Kyrgios/Hantuchova (Singapore Slammers) 6-4.
Women’s singles: Caroline Wozniacki (UAE Royals) vs Daniela Hantuchova (Singapore Slammers)
In the last set of the match, European stars Wozniacki and Hantuchova faced each other in front of an enthusiastic Delhi crowd. On a day when everything was going for the Royals, Daniela Hantuchova managed to break that streak to some extent.
The Slovak raced to a 3-0 lead against the Dane, and she eventually took the set 6-4. But since the match winner needs to win the final game, the proceedings were extended by one game, as Wozniacki won that to seal the match for the UAE Royals.
Result: Hantuchova (Singapore Slammers) beat Wozniacki (UAE Royals) 6-5.
With the impressive win, the UAE Royals move to the top of the points table. The defeat put more misery in the Slammers’ camp, who remain at the bottom. The first match of the India leg of the ‘Happiness Open’ was hugely entertaining, and despite the one-sidedness of the scoreline, both teams produced tennis of the highest quality.
