Manila: For their first match at home, the Mavericks closed day’s play with a staggering 29-18 over the Royals, making it two in a row, and the first home win for their very vocal supporters.

In a packed Mall of Asia Arena here in Manila, it was difficult to tell who got a louder welcome on court as the Philippine Mavericks came out in full strength – home lad and player-coach Treat Huey or the genius of Serena Williams.

Match Summary:

-Team captain Philippoussis won the toss & elected to serve, winning the 1st set 6-2 in 24 minutes for the home fans

-The men’s singles saw the towering Milos Raonic over-power Tomas Berdych 6-4, giving the team a 2 set lead

-The mixed doubles with home star Treat Huey and Serena Williams pairing up against Nestor/Mladenovic was a delight. Plenty of cross-court backhands and straight-line passes from Huey/Williams in a set that tied 5-5, with a shoot-out that tied at 6-6. It was sudden death that gave the Royals an edge, and win the set 6-5

-The women’s singles had everyone in rapt attention, as Ivanovic and Williams looked set for the face-off! Williams clearly in the groove after her mixed doubles match earlier on, winning the set 6-3

-The men’s doubles some brilliant tennis from the French pairing of Roger-Vassellin/Gasquet. Their clever shot-making out-smarted Nestor/Berdych with a score that finished 6-3, wining it for the home team on day 1

What the Players said:

Serena Williams: “I really enjoy the format, and that’s why I’m here again! The crowd in Manila was great last year, and more so this year, it was wonderful walking out for the home team. I really enjoyed playing the mixed doubles with Treat today, we had our chances, and it was a really close match.” On her 2015 season, she added “I don’t lack motivation, I just needed to take some time off and heal, to be able to walk without pain. And since my season ended earlier this year, I thought it was great to be able to come here and get some good match practise.”

Match Scores: