Aces pull thru in shootout, edge Mavericks

MANILA, Philippines - The Micromax Indian Aces hacked out a pair of victories in the Super Shootout as they nipped the Manila Mavericks, 26-25, in a thriller of a duel kicking off the India leg of the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) presented by Qatar Airways in New Delhi, India over the weekend.

Ana Ivanovic of the Aces forced the Super Shootout with a 6-2 victory over Mavericks’ Kristina Flipkens in the women’s singles as two teams ended up with 25 aggregate points apiece after five sets.

Aces’ Gael Monfils, who dropped a 4-6 decision in the men’s singles, came back to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the Mavericks as he won the Super Shootout, 1-0, in a nail-biting finish to the delight of a huge crowd at the Indira Ghandi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

“We were ready for the Super Shootout in case Ana wins and that’s exactly what happened and we are thrilled with the win,” said Monfils.

The victory enabled the Aces to hold on to the overall lead with their fifth win in seven matches for an overall total of 24 points, three ahead of second-running the UAE Royals. The Mavericks fell to third with 19 points after absorbing their fourth loss against three wins.

It was a sorry loss for the Mavericks, who appeared headed for a win and a crack at the overall lead.

Flipkens and Daniel Nestor kept their mastery over local bets Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza as they carved out a close 6-5 win in the mixed doubles.

Mark Philippoussis of the Mavericks remained unbeaten in the tournament, beating Cedric Pioline, 6-4, in the legends game.

But Bopanna atoned for his lackluster performance in the mixed doubles as he teamed up with Monfils to stop the streaking Tsonga and Treat Huey in the men’s doubles, 6-5.

“I was definitely a little nervous playing at home. It was a close doubles, an even closer mixed doubles, and it feels fantastic to pull through,” said Bopanna, who hails from Bagalore, India.

“With Monfils, we played with a lot of confidence, understood the game of the opponents who were playing very well and having lost the mixed doubles I wanted to win the men’s doubles,” he added.

Tsonga came back to defeat Monfils, 6-4, to give the Mavericks a four-point buffer, 23-19. But Ivanovic stepped up to defeat Flipkens.

In the other duel, the UAE Royals pounced on the absence of world No. 1 Serena Williams as they dominated the Singapore Slammers, 29-16.