IPTL 2015 Results: Friday Kobe Tennis Scores, Winners and Manila Schedule
The Micromax Indian Aces were victorious against OUE Singapore Slammers and took their second straight win of the 2015 International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), edging their opponents 27-22 in Kobe, Japan, on Friday.
There was also a victory for Serena Williams' Philippine Mavericks, who defeated the Legendari Japan Warriors 28-24 in the day's later match. However, a shock defeat for Williams in the final match of the night, losing 6-4 to Kurumi Nara, ruined her day.
Here’s a look at the results in full from each of these two absorbing battles and the upcoming fixtures to be played in Manila, Philippines, on Sunday:
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| Micromax Indian Aces | 27-22 | OUE Singapore Slammers |
| FABRICE SANTORO | 5-6 | CARLOS MOYA |
| SAMANTHA STOSUR | 4-6 | KAROLINA PLISKOVA |
| DODIG / BOPANNA | 6-4 | MELO / BROWN |
| DODIG / MIRZA | 6-3 | KYRGIOS / BENCIC |
| IVAN DODIG | 6-3 | NICK KYRGIOS |
| Philippine Mavericks | 28-24 | Legendari Japan Warriors |
| HUEY / WILLIAMS | 6-3 | PAES / LUCIC-BARONI |
| GASQUET / ROGER-VASSELIN | 6-5 | PAES / HERBERT |
| MILOS RAONIC | 6-5 | KEI NISHIKORI |
| MARK PHILIPPOUSSIS | 6-5 | MARAT SAFIN |
| SERENA WILLIAMS | 4-6 | KURUMI NARA |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | Legendari Japan Warriors | OUE Singapore Slammers | Manila |
| Sunday, Dec. 6 | OBI UAE Royals | Philippine Mavericks | Manila |
Friday Recap
The Indian Aces fought back against the Slammers in the first match in Kobe, prevailing after losing the first two matches on Friday.
Individual losses for Fabrice Santoro and Samantha Stosur against Carlos Moya and Karolina Pliskova, respectively, were cancelled out by doubles wins for Ivan Dodig—and his two partners Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza—beating Marcelo Melo and Dustin Brown and the pairing of Nick Kyrgios and Belinda Bencic.
It was left to Dodig to win the final tie of the day, defeating Kyrgios by 6-3 to take a 27-22 win for the Aces.
Dodig was the most impressive player of the match, ensuring three victories for his team in a hotly contested fixture. The Croatian hit five aces and nine winners on his way to the win in the final contest, per IPTL World. Dodig disposed of Kyrgios in only 25 minutes to lead his side to a deserved celebration.
The Mavericks swamped the Warriors in the second tie of the day, comfortably winning four of their five encounters, taking the result 28-24.
It would have been the perfect day for the winners, but Williams fell to a shock loss at the final hurdle, beaten by Nara.
However, her failure had no bearing on the final result, as Williams' team looked very strong moving forward.
The Mavericks took three matches by identical scores of 6-5, as 39-year-old Mark Philippoussis rolled back the years to beat Marat Safin. Williams teamed with Treat Huey to overpower Leander Paes and Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3 in the opener.
But the biggest cheer was reserved for Nara, making her debut in the IPTL and defeating the world No. 1 in 30 minutes.
Nara won the match without serving a single ace and hitting less winners than Williams, but her 81 per cent first serve was far superior to her opponent's, who could only register 32 per cent, per the IPTL.
Williams will have been disappointed to lose to a player considered inferior to herself, but as it has been seen in major tournaments, she sometimes does not look in form in an opening set.
The IPTL format allowed her weaknesses to filter through, and Nara punished Williams, despite not having the weaponry to beat the multiple Grand Slam winner in a normal contest.
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