IPTL Manila: Goran Ivanisevic lead UAE Royals to 26-23 win over Singapore Slammers

Manila: A win evading the UAE Royals since their last couple of matches, it was finally time for victory as they beat the OUE Singapore Slammers 26-23 on the third day here in Manila, before the Coca-Cola IPTL moves to its next stop in Delhi, India. It was magical tennis all the way, teams eager to win every game, to help their win-loss percentage in the overall points tally. The Slammers only managed to win one set out of the five, but the tennis on display tonight was supreme.

Match Summary:

- Ana started the evening for the Royals, winning her match against Pliskova 6-5 giving the Royals a confident start

- Ivanisevic and Moya provided pure vintage tennis, both legends not willing to give up. Goran prevailed, winning it 6-4

- Mixed doubles saw Mladenovic/Nestor take on the young-blooded pairing of Bencic/Kyrgios, winning it 6-4, bringing a royal smile on her team-mates, now 3 sets up against the Slammers

- The combined pairing of Kyrgios/Melo helped the Slammers win the set 6-2, their only winning set this evening

- But it was the men’s singles face-off between Berdych and Kyrgios which was tennis at its best. Despite 4 aces from Kyrgios, Berdych took the set away 6-4

What the Players said:

Tomas Berdych: “It was a great match, we’re very happy to have won. Nick has a big serve, and I managed to play him really well. We are very happy with our match today.”

Goran Ivanisevic: “It was important for us to win today, to get our confidence back, to find our rhythm. The last two matches, we were badly beaten by the Mavericks and the Aces, and the team was desperate for a win today. It’s a tough competition, even if you lose the match, it’s important to win as many games as possible since every game counts. The team is working really hard, its very competitive and clearly nobody wants to lose… you want to win it for the team, and that’s what’s great about the IPTL! I’m the oldest legend in the IPTL, at 44 its hard but I’m loving the competition, and I want to win it for my team.”

Carlos Moya: “For us legends, its simply unbelievable to be here in the IPTL. The crowd response is amazing, the competitive tennis is a good feeling. It’s what I miss the most … that feeling of being a competitive player again, of winning matches. And that is why I like the IPTL. I had a great time here in Manila last year, unfortunately I got injured and was not able to play too much. But I’m happy to be back here this time, and look forward to coming back again.”

Match Scores: