5 matches you cannot afford to miss in the Champions Tennis League

Feliciano Lopez will be part of some fascinating match-ups

The six CTL teams in the fray – Punjab Marshalls, Mumbai Tennis Masters, Delhi Dreams, Pune Marathas, Bangalore Raptors and Hyderabad Aces – will battle it out for 10 days across India to lay their hands on the coveted title. With each team boasting some of the greatest players to ever grace the court, the fans are guaranteed entertaining action throughout the course of the league.

It is the first time that a tennis event of this magnitude will be taking place in India, where the best of Indian and international tennis will team up and face each other in a league format. And with ultra-competitive professionals from different parts of the world giving it their all to come up trumps, we can rest assured that there will be some electrifying contests unfolding on the court.

Here are five key battles in the CTL that are guaranteed to set the country alight:

1.Martina Hingis Vs Venus Williams

The most exciting clash at the CTL is between two of the most successful female tennis players of all time: Hyderabad Aces’ Martina Hingis and Bangalore Raptors’ Venus Williams. These two have 12 singles and 22 doubles Grand Slam titles between them, for a mind-boggling combined total of 34 Majors. They have been fierce rivals on the WTA tour, having faced each other a total of 21 times, with Hingis leading 11-10. For the sheer contrast of styles that they offer – Williams is all raw power and Hingis is the queen of mind games – their rivalry is one of the best in women’s sports history. They will play each other in both singles and mixed doubles on the very first day of the league, as the Aces take on the Raptors on 17th November.

2.Leander Paes/Somdev Devvarman Vs Kevin Anderson/Sanam Singh

This match-up is a treat for Indian fans, with three of the country’s biggest stars taking the court at the same time. On one side we will see India’s best doubles player, Laender Paes along with India’s best singles player Somdev Devvarman competing for the Punjab Marshalls team. In the very first tie of the event on Monday, the duo will take on Delhi Dreams’ Kevin Anderson and Sanam Singh, two players who are beginning to make their mark on the big stage. Will Anderson’s big serve and booming forehand help cause an upset? Only time will tell!

3.Pat Cash Vs Mark Philippoussis

The hard-hitting Mark Philippoussis

Pune Marathas’ Pat Cash and Hyderabad Aces’ Mark Philippoussis were both awe-inspiring players to watch in their prime. Consistently in the top 10 during their playing days, Cash and Philippoussis will be facing off against each other for the first time ever. Philippoussis never won a Grand Slam but reached the finals of the Wimbledon and the US Open, and was famous for possessing a fantastic, bone-crunching serve. Cash on the other hand used his attacking style of play to win the Wimbledon championship in 1987 – his only Grand Slam. With the tremendous experience they bring to the court, this legends’ encounter on 18th November promises to be one engrossing affair.

4.Feliciano Lopez/Venus Williams Vs Marcos Baghdatis/Agnieszka Radwanska

This all-star match-up has four of the best tennis players from around the world taking on each other in a mouth-watering mixed doubles clash. Venus Williams might be the only one with a Major amongst them, but all four have enjoyed a lot of success, having been in the top 10 of the world with several titles on the ATP and WTA tour to their name. As the Pune Marathas take on the Bangalore Raptors on the 20th of November, it will be fascinating to see how Radwanska’s craftiness combined with Baghdatis’ explosive ball-striking fare against Williams’ power and Lopez’s incredible volleying skills.

5.Somdev Devvarman Vs Tommy Robredo

In another highly anticipated match, we will see Punjab Marshalls’ Devvarman battling it out against the extremely talented Tommy Robredo of the Mumbai Masters on the 20th of November. The Indian will have the crowd on his side and he defends well enough to give any player a run for his money. The Spaniard on the other hand, is back in the ATP top 20 and is easily one of the strongest singles players in the league. But as we all know, stats and records count for little when there is so much emotion in play – this one promises to be a doozy.

So have you booked your dates for these five sizzling match-ups yet?

Originally published on the Champions Tennis League site here.