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IPTL 2015 - SINGAPORE, 19 December 2015 (Day 2) IP: 203.116.177.151 Posted on December 19, 2015 at 07:23:35 PM by David Barnes
INTERNATIONAL PREMIER TENNIS LEAGUE (IPTL)
2015 EDITION - SINGAPORE, 19 December 2015 (DAY 2)
Those listening closely to what Roger Federer said after his efforts yesterday would have realised that he would not be on the team line-up for today’s match, as he had fulfilled his contractual commitment, namely to play in four matches, with Marin Cilic taking his place in today’s men’s doubles and singles. This may have accounted for the rather sparse spectator count at the start of this afternoon’s session, which saw his teammates from the UAE Royals take on the Philippine Mavericks, the Royals needing a massive score, with very few games conceded, to stand a chance of appearing in tomorrow’s final. The stadium filled up during the afternoon and evening, however, and the fans were rewarded with some splendid tennis.
In the meantime, however, various players had been busy in the morning – Goran Ivanisevic and Jarmila Gajdosova were present to raise the starting flag on a charity ‘Christmas present delivery day’ for disadvantaged and disabled children, while Nick Kyrgios and Marcelo Melo of the Slammers conducted a junior tennis clinic with ten children who show promise as future players. Stan Wawrinka was meeting his fans up at the new ‘Twin Peaks’ luxury residential development on Orchard Road. Some guys have all the luck.
At the start of this final leg in Singapore, the Indian Aces were out ahead with a 55.2% win/loss ratio in games played (the criterion for an appearance in the final), with the Slammers in second place on 52.4% and the Royals in third, with 49.7%. By the close of play yesterday, the Royals had closed the gap, being on 50.1% whereas the Slammers had slipped back to stand at 51.8%. Only one of these two teams could, mathematically, now have a chance of making the final, so there was everything to play for in the afternoon session, especially for the Rogerless Royals.
After his barnstorming effort yesterday, Ivanisevic was in subdued mood against James Blake, missing forehand after forehand and looking half the legend he had seemed just 24 hours ago. Blake raced to a 4-2 lead, the Croat stemmed the flow somewhat with a love game for 4-3, but the American powered on and took the set 6-4. Jarmila Gajdosova came through against an injured Kiki Mladenovic 6-4, with thirteen winners to her opponent’s six, and an ace to conclude, which will have pleased her but dismayed the Royals, since Mladenovic had to partner Daniel Nestor in the mixed doubles immediately afterwards.
Much to everybody’s astonishment, not least that of their fellow team members, Nestor and Mladenovic took a 4-0 lead, at which point Somdev Devvarman was substituted for Edouard Roger-Vasselin, the Indian’s first outing for the Mavericks. He played a good service game to avoid he and his partner Gajdosova suffering an embarrassing bagel, but the Royals won 6-1, in one of the most unlikely outcomes of the week, given the French woman’s injury. 13-13 in games thus far.
Astonishment, although muted, continued through the mens’ doubles that followed, where the linguistic discovery of the week, the pairing of Conrad Treat-Huey and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, overcame the more senior partnership of Marin Cilic and Daniel Nestor, 6-4, in a match of outstanding doubles, that made one wish that more emphasis was placed on the genre in the main ATP Tour. The concluding mens’ singles match, which Marin Cilic won 6-4 against Ivo Karlovic, culminated in a ‘super shoot-out’, because the team scores were tied at 23 apiece. The shoot-out went to 9-9, and Karlovic won the deciding point with an ace, thus ensuring overall victory for the Philippine Mavericks, which was a bit hard on Cilic, although he was magnanimous about it afterwards; “Matches go with one or two points, so it’s OK”. All in all a good advert for the team concept that the IPTL advances with such extravagant fervour.
The evening session saw Fabrice Santoro back from illness, but below par, and he lost the opening set for the Indian Aces against Carlos Moya of the Singapore Slammers, 6-2. Stan Wawrinka came back from 2-5 down against Bernard Tomic, finding his range beautifully on his famed backhand side, and secured a shoot-out at 5-5, which he won 7-4, his efforts ensuring that his team were guaranteed a place in tomorrow’s final. Next up was Belinda Bencic for the Slammers, playing Svetlana Kuznetsova for the Aces, and the Swiss girl stormed through the set, looking for all the world like a modern-day Martina Hingis, with her open stance and open shoulders, pummelling the ball mercilessly to the other side of the net and a bewildered Kuznetsova. A deserved 6-2 victory; the scene was set for a repeat Slammers v Aces match-up in tomorrow’s final.
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David Barnes/Topspin, 2015
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