IPTL 2016 Results: Saturday Tennis Scores, Winners and Japan Schedule
Japan Warriors' Kei Nishikori thumped Tomas Berdych on Saturday to clinch a 23-20 win for his team over the UAE Royals in the International Premier Tennis League.
The Warriors were 19-17 down heading into the final set, but Nishikori, roared on by a home crowd in Saitama, Japan, produced a brilliant performance against Berdych, winning 6-1.
Earlier in the day Kirsten Flipkens secured a thrilling victory for the Indian Aces, as her win over Kiki Bertens handed the team a 26-25 win over the OUE Singapore Slammers.
The scores were deadlocked as the final set of the match got under way, and Flipkens was able to hold her nerve in a tiebreaker, prompting scenes of celebration from her team-mates on the sidelines.
Here is a look at the results from Saitama and a recap of another absorbing day in this fascinating competition.
| Carlos Moya | 6-4 | Thomas Enqvist |
| Marcos Baghdatis | 4-6 | Feliciano Lopez |
| Melo/Kyrgios | 6-4 | Dodig/Lopez |
| Melo/Bertens | 4-6 | Bopanna/Mirza |
| Kiki Bertens | 5-6 | Kirsten Flipkens |
| Jelena Jankovic | 6-1 | Martina Hingis |
| Rojer/Jankovic | 4-6 | Nestor/Hingis |
| Marat Safin | 4-6 | Goran Ivanisevic |
| Nishikori/Verdasco | 3-6 | Cuevas/Nestor |
| Kei Nishikori | 6-1 | Tomas Berdych |
For full score breakdown visit IPTLWorld.com.
Slammers 25-26 Aces
After a defeat on Friday, Carlos Moya got the Slammers off to the perfect start with a win in the men’s legend singles, eventually getting the better of Thomas Enqvist 6-4.
There was little between the two men, though, and that set the tone for what proved to be an evenly contested match.
Indeed, the match was tied at 10-10 following the men’s singles, as the Aces’ Feliciano Lopez edged out Marcos Baghdatis 6-4 to restore parity. It paved the way for two intriguing doubles matches.
In the first, the dynamic duo of Marcelo Melo and Nick Kyrgios restored the champions’ two-point buffer after beating Lopez and Ivan Dodig. Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza got revenge at the first opportunity, though, as they tied the scores at 20-20 with a win over Melo and Bertens.
It meant all eyes were on the last leg of the match, with Bertens and Flipkens involved in a straight shootout for victory.
Despite eight huge aces from Bertens, Flipkens clung on to take the game to a tiebreak and eventually secured a key win for the team.
Per the event's Twitter feed, the team looked very pleased after a narrow win:
The Aces have enjoyed the perfect start to the tournament with back-to-back early wins secured, while after successive defeats, the Slammers have a long road ahead of them if they’re to retain the title they clinched in 2015.
Japan Warriors 23-20 UAE Royals
The Japan Warriors were given a brilliant foothold in this one, as Jelena Jankovic was in fine form to beat Martina Hingis 6-1 in just 21 minutes.
For the Royals, it was a lot to recover from, but slowly and surely, they clawed their way back into contention with some superb performances.
Hingis made amends for her poor start when teaming up with Daniel Nestor in the mixed doubles and after an even set, they eventually emerged as 6-4 winners. Next up for the Royals was Goran Ivanisevic, who followed suit in the men’s legend match, beating Marat Safin 6-4.
It meant the match was on a knife-edge heading into the men’s doubles. By the end of that set, all of Jankovic’s good work had been undone, as Pablo Cuevas and Nestor battled to a 6-3 win over Nishikori and Fernando Verdasco.
The Royals Twitter feed paid tribute to the spirit on display from their team, as they took a two-point lead into the final stanza:
It was up to Nishikori to salvage the match for the home side as he needed to win by three clear games to grab the overall win.
The Japanese seemed to feed off the energy of the crowd early on and was far too dynamic for Berdych in the opening exchanges. Remarkably, he raced into a 5-0 lead, playing some stunning tennis on the way.
Berdych did get one game back to make things a little nervy for the Warriors, but Nishikori responded by breaking the Czech in the very next game to settle this one.
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