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Star Indian players Sumit Nagal and Karman Thandi spearheaded an emphatic win for Gujarat Panthers in their opening Tennis Premier League 2023 tie as the sporting extravaganza got underway on Tuesday.
Top international names including Ellen Perez, Dennis Novak, and Ernests Gulbis were also in action and there’s plenty to unpack after Day 1. On that note, here’s everything that went down on Day 1 of the Tennis Premier League 2023:
Bengal Wizards def. Hyderabad Strikers 46-34
The tie got off to a balanced start, with Strikers’ Ellen Perez and Wizards’ Maria Timofeeva splitting the score 10-10 after quickfire exchanges characterised by serve and return winners and easy errors. Sriram Balaji then showed his class, taking the men’s singles 16-4 against Niki Poonacha to put Wizards in the lead.
Perez, a top-20 player in doubles, showcased her prowess in the mixed format alongside Saketh Myneni, ousting Timofeeva and Anirudh Chandrasekar 15-5 to inch ahead for the first time in the tie. The men’s doubles, however, saw Wizards close out the match with a convincing 46-34 scoreline overall.
Delhi Binny’s Brigade def. Pune Jaguars 42-38
Diana Marcinkevica and Sahaja Yamalapalli took to the court for the tie between Pune Jaguars and Delhi Binny’s Brigade. The two exchanged a nervy few rallies to open the contest, but settled in eventually, with Marcinkevica prevailing 12-8.
Dennis Novak impressed with his powerful forehands in the men’s singles to keep Lukas Rosol at bay, pulling the win for Delhi with a 13-7 scoreline. The mixed doubles tie ended in a 10-10 tie, but Novak and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan saw their team over the finish line with a 42-38 scoreline. It was the Austrian’s forehand again that sealed the deal for the side.
Punjab Patriots def. Bengaluru SG Mavericks 41-39
Swiss player Conny Perrin donned the Punjab Patriots jersey and put on a show for the packed crowds with her single-handed backhand, racing past Bengaluru SG Mavericks’ Arina Rodionova 13-7 in the opener for the third tie.
Ramkumar Ramanathan of Bengaluru SG Mavericks then fended off a spirited Digvijay Pratap Singh, with his big serve and nifty work at the net keeping him afloat 11-9 in the men’s singles tie. Perrin then partnered with Arjun Kadhe to see the side take the mixed doubles event 12-8. Ramanathan and the seasoned Vishnu Vardhan sweeped the doubles, but that was not enough as the Patriots prevailed 41-39.
Gujarat Panthers def. Mumbai Leon Army 46-34
Karman Thandi led the charge for Gujarat Panthers, outserving and for the most part outhitting fellow countrywoman Sowjanya Bavisetti of the Mumbai Leon Army 14-6 in the day's final women’s singles contest.
The men’s singles tie, meanwhile, saw Gujarat Panthers' Sumit Nagal withstand some big serving to beat former top-10 player Ernests Gulbis 12-8. Karman then combined with Mukund Sasikumar to win the mixed doubles 11-9. The men’s doubles tie saw Gulbis and Vijay Sundar Prashanth get a consolation win for Mumbai, but the side succumbed 34-46 overall to the Panthers.
