IPTL MATCH REPORT: Ruthless Royals rout clueless Warriors in their own backyard
THE FORMIDABLE UAE ROYALS lived up to their billing as they routed a clueless Japan Warriors (30-15) in their second match of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Kobe, Japan yesterday.
The Royals came into the match as the overwhelming favourites and from the word go started to dominate proceedings. From singles, doubles, to mixed doubles, the Warriors had no answers to the clinical and ruthless approach of team UAE.
With two wins in as many matches, the Royals are head and shoulders above all in the points table and have shown all the signs of a being the team to beat going ahead.
First up, it was time for some mixed doubles action and the pair of Sharapova/Herbert had rich hopes of getting off to another flying start. However, the Russian missed some easy volleys, owing to which Ivanovic/Nestor broke early and led 2-0.
The flurry of errors continued from the Japan duo which resulted in a double break. At 0-4, Leander Paes was substituted for Herbert, but little he could do to avoid a bagel. In the end, it was a rout from the Royals 6-0.
Ivanovic and Sharapova remained on court for their singles set. Both ladies struggled with their serves and relied on breaking each other for the first four games. The five-time Grand Slam champion kept committing unforced errors as the Serb squeezed out a crucial win 6-4.
After the first two sets, the home team was trailing by 4-10.
It was time for the legends to step up and lead by example. And, Japan’s senior most pro Marat Safin played some clinical tennis and raced to a 3-0 lead over his compatriot Goran Ivanisevic.
Just when it looked like Japan was making a comeback into the tie, the Croat hit back with four straight games to drive home the advantage. At the closing stages of the set, the Russian lost his rhythm and lost his serve and meekly surrendered the set to Ivanisevic 6-4.
Onto the men’s doubles, the pattern of breaking serves continued as Paes/Herbert displayed some great skills at the net. That said, their lead was short-lived as Nestor/Berdych broke back with some inspired tennis of their own.
In the end, relentless pressure from the Royals’ pair enabled them to nail a hard fought set 6-4, and with that an unassailable lead of 24-12.
In the fifth set, Japan’s Philip Kohlschreiber’s game was never going to bother the highly ranked Berdych. In the initial stages, both men held serve, but like all top players would do, the Czech seized the opportunity to break the German and served out the set 6-3 and the tie with aplomb.
The UAE Royals are sitting pretty at the top of the table now and will enjoys a few days off before playing their third game in Manila on the 6th against the Philippine Mavericks. On the other hand, the Japan Warriors will play the Mavericks in the second match of evening today.
