IPTL 2015 Results: Wednesday Tennis Scores, Winners and Latest Kobe Schedule
The OBI UAE Royals and the Micromax Indian Aces got their IPTL campaigns off to ideal starts on Wednesday with triumphs over the OUE Singapore Slammers and Legendari Japan Warriors, respectively.
It was the Royals who emerged victorious in the first match of this year’s series, with Ana Ivanovic and Tomas Berdych helping them to a 26-20 triumph. Later in the day, the Aces recovered from a fast beginning from a Maria Sharapova-inspired Warriors team, eventually winning 25-24 with a 6-2 win for Fabrice Santoro proving to be key.
Here are the results from Wednesday’s play in Kobe, a recap of the best of the action from Japan and a look at the remaining fixtures to be played in this segment of the tour.
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| Ana Ivanovic | 6-3 | Belinda Bencic |
| Tomas Berdych | 2-6 | Nick Kyrgios |
| Tomas Berdych & Daniel Nestor | 6-5 (7-5) | Marcelo Melo & Dustin Brown |
| Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor | 6-3 | Marcelo Melo & Karolina Pliskova |
| Goran Ivanisevic | 6-3 | Carlos Moya |
| Maria Sharapova & Pierre Hugues-Herbet | 6-5 (7-0) | Sania Mirza & Rohan Bopanna |
| Maria Sharapova | 6-4 | Samantha Stosur |
| Marat Safin | 2-6 | Fabrice Santoro |
| Kei Nishikori & Pierre Hugues-Herbet | 4-6 | Gael Monfils & Rohan Bopanna |
| Kei Nishikori | 6-4 | Gael Monfils |
| Thursday, Dec. 3 | Philippine Mavericks | OUE Singapore Slammers |
| Thursday, Dec. 3 | OBI UAE Royals | Legendari Japan Warriors |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Micromax Indian Aces | OUE Singapore Slammers |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Philippine Mavericks | Legendari Japan Warriors |
Royals, Aces Start in Style
With the cumulative scores of each match added together to make a final total, lopsided wins are like gold dust in the ITPL. So for the Royals, it would have been a major boost to see their star player, Ivanovic, fly out of the traps.
She beat Belinda Bencic 6-3 in the opener to get the Royals in front, but with the enigmatic Nick Kyrgios in their ranks, the Slammers bounced back, as he upset Berdych 6-2. It meant the doubles matches were crucial and for Berdych, it was a fine chance to make amends.
The Czech star and partner Daniel Nestor played out a thrilling leg against Marcelo Melo and Dustin Brown, with a 5-5 scoreline prompting a deciding tie-break. Eventually, the Royals held their nerve, levelling things up and providing momentum as the match passed the halfway point.
From there, the Royals took control. Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic had too much in the mixed doubles for Melo and Karolina Pliskova, winning 6-3. It meant in the final legends match that Goran Ivanisevic needed just four games to secure the win for his team against Carlos Moya, and the former Wimbledon champion duly obliged with a 6-3 win.
Ivanovic took to social media to express her delight at the strong start made by her team:
Later in the day, Sharapova's Warriors were unable to get the better of the Aces, who recovered from an early deficit to win 25-24.
Sharapova and Pierre-Hugues Herbert held their nerve in the mixed doubles to begin the contest, taking the tie-breaker 7-0 and handing the Warriors an early 6-5 lead. Then, in her singles match, the Russian extended that advantage to three points, making it two wins from two with a 6-4 triumph over Samantha Stosur.
As we can see here courtesy of tennis journalist Aliny Calejon, it was an event the players weren't taking completely seriously:
We were witness to how quick these ties can swing in the next leg, though, as the Slammers' Santoro beat Marat Safin 6-2 in the legends match, pushing his side into a one-point lead. That was extended in the doubles, as Rohan Bopanna and Gael Monfils beat home crowd favourite Kei Nishikori and his partner, Herbert, 6-4.
It meant Nishikori needed to produce a stellar performance to win the match for his side, which was always going to be tough up against Monfils. Despite the crowd willing on the Warriors' talisman, the Frenchman did enough to earn the victory for the Aces, securing the four points needed in a 6-4 loss to the Japanese star.
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