‘The best seat in the house’ is a cliche often overused, but I truly believed I did sit in the best possible seat to enjoy the match to come. World No.1 Angelique Kerber was to take on World No. 8 Dominika Cibulkova.
The match would turn out to be a classic as both players gave it their all in a quest to gain some momentum at the start of the tournament. It was a match that enthralled the crowd and had them rooted to the seat as it swung from one way to the other, with neither player giving up an inch before Kerber showed why she was World No.1, overcoming Cibulkova, despite not playing her best tennis.
24.10.16
WTA Finals, day 2
We travelled to the Tiang Bahru market for a taste of the local favour, and I was delighted to try a couple of Bib Gourmand Michelin Star rated stalls that offered local cuisine at an irresistible rate.
After brunch, it was back to the Singapore Sports Hub for a guided tour of the entire facility there. The crown jewel in the hub, is the newly-constructed Singapore national stadium, an incredibly impressive looking 55,000 seater that replaced the existing National Stadium in Kallang.
The stadium boasts of an 880-metre concourse around the course of the stadium that branches out to a number of other sporting facilities, including the aquatic complex and the Singapore Indoor Stadium, where the WTA Finals were taking place.
While the tennis blew me away, the meticulously constructed Singapore National Stadium will always remain with me as one of the most impressive structures I have seen in my life. Being a Sports Management student, the detail put into creating a stadium, that would serve as a matter of national pride while catering to the needs of the public amazed me.
Having walked a good 4 kilometers, we drove nearby for some Malaysian food, which quite reminded me of the food back home, as I dug into (with my hands) to the soothing meal.
After which it was back to the Singapore Indoor Stadium, which is absolutely splendid as well. The entrance to the stadium was adorned with purple carpets, and once you entered, you almost felt like you were walking into a movie hall, as another curtain parts to let you enter and get seated among the 10,000 strong capacity crowd.
The indoor stadium is temperature controlled and the seats are comfortable enough to enable you to have a superb experience. Defending champion and World No.2 Agnieszka Radwanska delighted the crowd with her unique strokeplay, but fell short to the fiesty and experienced Svetlana Kuznetsova.
In the final match that I got to watch, 2016 French Open winner lost a closely fought contest to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.
25.10.16
Back home
I spent the last day strolling around the streets of Singapore, taking the sights and sounds in for one last time. As I boarded the Singapore Airlines flight back home, I had plenty to reflect upon during the 4-hour journey. More than a week after the trip, it remains fresh in my memory, being a testament to the incredible treatment I received there.
Goodbye Singapore, until next time.
