Manila Mavericks deal IPTL leader Indian Aces 2nd straight loss

MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Mavericks finished strong in the second leg of the inaugural Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) presented by Qatar Airways as they dealt solo leader Micromax Indian Aces a big blow with a 25-20 victory on Thursday at the Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

In a match that saw the lead change hands three times in the first three sets, the solid tandem of Fil-Am doubles star Treat Huey and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga sealed the deal with a 6-2 win against Rohan Bopanna and Gael Monfils in the men’s doubles.

Mark Philippoussis continued his unbeaten run in the tournament since replacing the injured Carlos Moya, beating Fabrice Santoro-replacement Cedric Pioline, 6-4, to give the Mavericks the opening lead.

It was the fourth straight win in as many matches in the legends games for Philippoussis.

“I served three double faults in the first game, it’s tough. I found myself starting on the back foot. It’s Cedric’s first time here so it was tough for him to get his timing, I’m just happy to get a good start for the team,” Philippoussis said.

The Aces got the lead back as Ana Ivanovic ran Kristina Flipkens to the ground with an easy 6-2 victory in the women’s singles. The Mavericks dealt the Aces their first loss in the mixed doubles as they took the lead once more, 14-12.

Huey and Tsonga again played strong as doubles partners winning their fifth straight in the tournament to give the Mavericks six-point cushion, 20-14, heading into the final play of the day.

Monfils outlasted Tsonga in the shootout to take the men’s singles, 6-5, but it was not enough to overhaul the Mavericks lead as the Aces fell to their second loss after sweeping the Manila leg.

In the second match, the Singapore Slammers are also beginning to pick things up as they won their second straight match.

Fresh from dealing the Aces their first loss the other day, the Slammers started strong against the UAE Royals in the tightly-contested match with a pair of close wins in the women’s singles and mixed doubles.

World no.1 Serena Williams hit the match point with seconds left in the five-minute shootout to pull off a riveting 6-5 win over IPTL debutant Caroline Wozniacki.

Williams carried the momentum in the mixed doubles as she paired with Thomas Berdych in outlasting Nenad Zimonjic and Kristina Mladenovic, 6-4.

The Slammers opted to use Patrick Rafter than Andre Agassi in the legends game scuttling a dream match-up with Goran Ivanisevic. The big Croat Ivanisevic pulled off a 6-4 win against the hard-fighting Rafter but the ploy worked for the Slammers in the bigger picture.

Agassi later explained the switch in the post-match news conference.

“I had to contribute somehow.  We got together before to discuss the particular strategy.   It was pretty clear that the match up with Rafter was a much better chance to win the most amount of games, if not the set. I thought it was a high quality match,” Agassi said.

With just a slim 15-14 edge, the Slammers leaned on world no. 7 Berdych, who fended off the tough challenge posed by US Open champion Marin Cilic to get the 6-4 verdict.

Cilic teamed up with Zimonjic in the men’s doubles and claimed the 6-5 win but Lleyton Hewitt and Nick Kyrgios stood their ground as they made it too close to call giving the Slammers a 27-25 win.

The Slammers still occupy the cellar with 14 points on two wins against four losses but are just three points behind joint second place Mavericks and Royals, who hold 17 points on 3-3 win-loss record. The Aces’s lead on top has narrowed down after two legs with only a win to show in this leg. The Aces have 20 points on 4-2 win-loss card.

The IPTL shifts to India this weekend with 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer debuting for the league-leading Aces before an expected sold out crowd in New Delhi.