International Premier Tennis League: UAE Royals Beat Singapore Slammers as Tournament Makes Japan Debut
International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) started amidst much fanfare with a packed house at the Kobe World Hall, Japan, as the UAE Royals beat Singapore Slammers 26-20 on the opening day of the second edition.
The International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) got off to a rousing start with UAE Royals beating Singapore Slammers as the tournament made its debut in Japan on Wednesday. (International Premier Tennis League Tickets to Range From Rs 4000 to Rs 48,000)
A packed house at the Kobe World Hall, full of families and children, and tennis fans greeted the fast-paced format with loud cheers as the Royals won 26-20 on the opening day of the second edition. (Novak Djokovic Pulls Out of International Premier Tennis League)
Ana Ivanovic won the women's singles rubber 6-3 against Belinda Bencic to give the Royals a winning start. (Tried Hard to Get Leander Paes in International Premier Tennis League Last Year: Mahesh Bhupathi)
Nick Kyrgios brought the Slammers right back with a convincing 6-2 win over Tomas Berdych.
The men's doubles was an extremely tight affair with the team of Tomas Berdych and Daniel Nestor emerging 6-5 victors over Marcelo Melo and Dustin Brown, putting the Royals ahead again.
The combine of Kristina Mladenovic and Nestor, and Goran Ivanisevic showed their class by taking the last two sets -- mixed doubles and men's legends singles, respectively -- with relative ease, giving the Royals a winning start in season two.
His side might have lost the match but Kyrgios was still in an upbeat mood and was all praise for the tournament.
"I love IPTL, it's a great format, its shows what tennis can be. I personally love playing in a team environment, I used to play basketball as a kid, so I love to have teammates around," said the Australian tennis star.
"I've been thinking of the IPTL all year round, and it's the only time when I have so much fun on the tennis court. We are a completely new team this time, with me being the only Slammer from last year, so in a way I can help the other players in my team. It's sad we did not win, but there is still a lot more tennis to look forward to in the coming weeks," he said.
On IPTL's Japan debut, Kyrgios added, "I love Japan, my sister lives here, I love the culture, the food. Absolute loving it here right now."