IPTL REPORT: Warriors get on the board by beating the Royals for their first IPTL win

THE JAPAN WARRIORS finally managed to get on the board after successfully beating the UAE Royals for their first International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) win in New Delhi yesterday.

After trailing the Royals by 0-2(sets), it appeared that the Warriors were heading for another drubbing, but a spirited comeback in the final three sets saw the bottom-placed team notch their maiden win in the competition.

Although the Warriors will remain last on the points table, but a hard-fought win like this would surely keep their spirits high going ahead. 

First up, Ana Ivanovic took care of business in the women’s singles against Kurumi Nara by going for broke from the word go. The Serb played high percentage tennis and also ended up winning crucial points on her serve.

The Japanese team did make a substitution by replacing Nara with Lucic Baroni, but Ivanovic won it convincingly for the UAE Royals, in 26 short minutes 6-2. 

Up next, Thomas Enqvist stepped into the court for the legends singles to take on Goran Ivanisevic. The Croat proved the mightier of the two, winning playing some incredible tennis from the back court and won the set 6-4. 

In the men’s doubles, the Delhi crowd was clearly behind their local star, Leander Paes who with paired Herbert for the Warriors. The Japanese pair proved too strong for the pair of Nestor/Berdych. 

In the men’s singles, Herbert stepped in for Kohlschreiber who was feeling sick courtside. Herbert then played some inspired tennis with a flurry of winners to upset Berdych 6-4. This was certainly a big shot in the arm for the Warriors. 
At 2-2 heading into the final set, it was anybody’s ball game.

Both sides fancied their chances of winning, but with some clinical display from Baroni/Herbert, the Warriors were able to notch up their first ever win in the IPTL. 

A relieved and elated Paes expressing his feelings after the victory said, 

“It’s great to go out there and win it for the team, it’s wonderful that we notched our first win in the IPTL today. Herbert was a brilliant partner to have and he played some fantastic tennis today in all the 3 sets. Being 2 sets down and then winning the men’s doubles gave us the momentum that we needed.” On the league he added, “Without a doubt events like this will help tennis in India to grow. It’s important to have more and more events like so young players can see their idols live in action and get inspired to play better. To have the likes of Roger and Rafa play in India is tremendous. Kudos to Mahesh for bringing an event and a galaxy of players of this stature to India!”