International Premier Tennis League-2: Philippine Mavericks down Indian Aces in thriller
New Delhi: Defending champions Indian Aces suffered their first loss in the International Premier Tennis League-2, going down 24-25 to Philippine Mavericks in a thrilling contest in Manila on Tuesday.
The Mavericks showed better nerves at crucial moments and ended on a high when Serbia’s Milos Raonic grabbed the fifth set in a nailbiting fight with France’s Rafeal Nadal.
The Aces made a disappointing start when France’s Fabrice Santoro failed lost to Australia’s Mark Philippoussis 4-6 in the men’s legends singles.
In the men’s doubles, Ivan Dodig and Nadal brought the Aces back into the contest with a 6-4 victory over Richard Gasquet and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. The Indian pair of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza then earned the Aces a 2-1 lead when they sent the Filipino-American duo of Treat Huey and Serena Williams packing with 6-3.
The Mavericks then rode on multiple-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams who beat Samantha Stosur 6-3. With the scores levelled, Nadal took the court against Raonic but lost 6-5 (7-6) in the decider. Earlier, UAE Royals defeated Singapore Slammers 26-23.
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