IPTL 2015 Results: Thursday Tennis Scores, Winners and Latest Kobe Schedule
The OBI UAE Royals made it two wins from two in the 2015 International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), as they got the better of the Legendari Japan Warriors with a brilliant team performance on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, there was a victory for the OUE Singapore Slammers in their match against Philippine Mavericks, bouncing back in the best possible style after their loss to the Royals on Day 1 with a last gasp triumph.
Here’s a look at the results in full from each of these two absorbing contests and a reminder of the matches to be played on the final day of the Kobe, Japan, leg of this popular competition.
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| Mark Philippoussis | 6-4 | Carlos Moya |
| Serena Williams | 4-6 | Karolina Pliskova |
| Richard Gasquet & Edouard Roger-Vasselin | 6-4 | Marcelo Melo & Dustin Brown |
| Edouard Roger-Vasselin & Jarmila Gajdosova | 4-6 | Marcelo Melo & Belinda Bencic |
| Milos Raonic | 4-6 | Nick Kyrgios |
| Maria Sharapova & Leander Paes | 0-6 | Kristina Mladenovic & Daniel Nestor |
| Maria Sharapova | 4-6 | Ana Ivanovic |
| Marat Safin | 4-6 | Goran Ivanisevic |
| Pierre-Hugues Herbert & Leander Paes | 4-6 | Daniel Nestor & Tomas Berdych |
| Philipp Kohlschreiber | 3-6 | Tomas Berdych |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Micromax Indian Aces | OUE Singapore Slammers | Kobe |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Philippine Mavericks | Legendari Japan Warriors | Kobe |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | Legendari Japan Warriors | OUE Singapore Slammers | Manila |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | OBI UAE Royals | Philippine Mavericks | Manila |
Royals Show Their Class
Getting off to a strong start in these types of matches may not be that vital, given there is plenty of time to make up ground. However, when you turn in a performance of quality like the one from Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor here, it can be decisive.
Indeed, for the Royals, they set the tempo superbly for this 30-15 win over the Warriors. Despite facing five-time Grand Slam champion and doubles specialist Leander Paes, no quarter was given by Mladenovic and Nestor; it took them just 17 minutes to wrap up an emphatic 6-0 win in the opening set.
From there, the Warriors were always going to be playing catch-up, and wins for Ana Ivanovic, beating Maria Sharapova 6-4, and Goran Ivanisevic, who won 6-4 against Marat Safin, put the Royals in a very strong position indeed.
As Mladenovic noted on her official Twitter feed, there’s definitely a strong bond between the players in the Royals camp, and that was evident throughout this clash:
The first three sets meant that, barring something spectacular, the Mavericks would be starting their tournament with a defeat.
Indeed, the Royals continued to assert their class, with Nestor picking up his second doubles win of the evening, teaming up with Tomas Berdych to beat Paes and Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4. Berdych was in action once again in the final match of the day, this time against Philipp Kohlschreiber in singles, and he capped off a brilliant day for the Aces, winning 6-3.
Prior to this lopsided encounter, there was a thrilling win for the Slammers, who had Nick Kyrgios to thank for holding his nerve in the final leg, beating Milos Raonic 6-4 and handing his side a 26-24 win.
This match was extremely tight, and despite possessing American superstar Serena Williams, who actually lost her set against Karolina Pliskova 6-4, the Mavericks were unable to pull clear of their opponents. As the contest oscillated between one team and the other, going into the final leg, the scores were deadlocked at 20-20.
There, Kyrgios pulled out a brilliant performance, overpowering the big-serving Canadian and getting the Slammers their first win. The young Aussie is a vibrant character out on court, and his dynamic, risky playing style is not only tailor-made for this type of tennis but thoroughly entertaining for the watching fans, too.
Afterward, the team looked pretty pleased with themselves, per the tournament’s official Twitter feed:
Following two days of pulsating tennis, supporters are beginning to get into this competition, and the standard is only going to get better as we head deeper into the tournament.
Names like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka are all poised to join the competition in the coming days. So while those in Kobe have been treated to some enthralling matches so far—and will be again on Friday—those supporters set to attend in Manila, New Delhi, Dubai and Singapore have a lot to look forward to.
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