IPTL 2015 Results: Singapore Slammers vs. Indian Aces Score and Winner
The OUE Singapore Slammers are the 2015 IPTL champions after an absorbing 26-21 triumph over the Micromax Indian Aces in Sunday’s grand final.
The match was the culmination of three thrilling weeks of tennis that have spanned across five different venues. The Aces had finished top of the general standings after winning eight of their 11 matches, while the Slammers had won seven of theirs.
As was anticipated, the end result was a wonderful climax to this entertaining competition. Here’s a look at the results in full from Sunday’s final and a recap of how the action panned out at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
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| Carlos Moya | 6-4 | Fabrice Santoro |
| Belinda Bencic | 6-5 | Svetlana Kuznetsova |
| Dustin Brown & Karolina Pliskova | 2-6 | Rohan Bopanna & Sania Mirza |
| Stanislas Wawrinka | 6-3 | Bernard Tomic |
| Stanislas Wawrinka & Marcelo Melo | 6-3 | Ivan Dodig & Rohan Bopanna |
Slammers Secure IPTL Crown
The Slammers and the Aces actually played each other in the final match of the group stages, with the former emerging as 27-21 victors. The hosts seemed to carry the momentum into this contest, as they had the better of some tight early exchanges.
Carlos Moya got Singapore off to a solid start with a 6-4 win over Fabrice Santoro, and Belinda Bencic added to their two-point lead in the next leg, having to go through a tense tiebreak to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-5.
At this point, the Aces needed to respond if they were to keep their title chances alive. So the pressure was most definitely on Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza as they took to the court, seeking to make a dent in the 12-9 lead the Slammers had established. But they did even more than that, winning their set 6-2 and thrusting the Aces into the lead.
RedCardSportsRadio paid tribute to what was a clinical showing of doubles tennis from the Aces pair, as they left Dustin Brown and Karolina Pliskova powerless to prevent an onslaught:
Suddenly, the momentum had shifted, but in Stanislas Wawrinka, the Slammers were in possession of a man who is perfect for this kind of situation. The two-time Grand Slam champion was up against Bernard Tomic in his set, and although the Aces man battled hard for his team, the class of the French Open winner shone through.
Indeed, a 6-3 win for Wawrinka gave the Singapore team a slender 20-18 advantage heading into the last leg of the tournament.
The Swiss was involved in the last set too, as the tension became almost palpable in the final stages. Alongside Marcelo Melo, Wawrinka was up against Bopanna and Ivan Dodig. The Aces’ Twitter feed summed up what was needed from their team if they were to sample glory:
However, the calibre of Wawrinka really came to the fore again. He and Melo were at ease on the court, snatching an early break of serve and soaring to a 3-0 lead. They eventually saw out the last set 6-3, giving the Slammers a famous victory.
The Slammers' Twitter feed praised the effort of their players, particularly the men's doubles duo that wrapped up the title:
It was another absorbing tournament in the IPTL. The format of the competition lends itself to exciting finishes, and while the Slammers got the job done rather routinely here, this year’s event has had plenty of memorable moments.
After a year of hard graft it’s endearing to see some of the biggest names in the tennis world relax and enjoy themselves on the court. Hopefully, we’ll see even more of the game’s finest involved next year, and the IPTL will continue to build on the encouraging progress it has made in its two editions to date.
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