Mumbai, Dec 3 2024-
Teams led by Olympians Rohan Bopanna and Vishnu Vardhan emerged victorious on the opening day of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 6, with both teams taking the top position in the standings here on Tuesday. Bopanna’s Rajasthan Rangers, Vishnu Vardhan’s Hyderabad Strikers, Yash Mumbai Eagles, and Chennai Smashers came away with resounding wins at the end of a high-octane day of tennis at the Cricket Club of India.
The first day served up a series of delicious and well-contested games with the likes of Bopanna putting on quite a show for the fans. The matches took place on a charcoal-coloured court and saw all eight teams being a part of the action on Tuesday.
Rajasthan Rangers and Gujarat Panthers got the action underway in the first match of the season, with Christina Dinu taking on Ekaterina Kazionova in the women’s singles category. Dinu prevailed with a scoreline of 14-11 in a tightly contested first game. Arthur Fery of the Rajasthan Rangers got the better of Gujarat Panthers’ Sumit Nagal with the same scoreline (14-11) in the men’s singles.
Rajasthan Rangers continued their winning run in the mixed doubles category, courtesy of Rohan Bopanna and Christina Dinu defeating Vijay Sundar Prashanth and Ekaterina Kazionova 14-11.
In the men’s doubles category, the pair of Bopanna and Arthur Fery emerged victorious against Sumit Nagal and Vijay Sundar Prashanth with the scoreline reading 15-10, helping the Rajasthan Rangers win the game 57-43.
Hyderabad Strikers and Bengal Wizards headlined the second match on Day One. Harriet Dart and Kamilla Rakhimova got things underway, with the former winning 18-7 in the women’s singles category. In the men’s singles category, Benjamin Lock overcame a tough contest against Niki Poonacha 16-9.
The mixed doubles category saw Harriet Dart and Vishnu Vardhan go up against Kamilla Rakhimova and Sriram Balaji. The Bengal Wizards clinched a thrilling encounter 13-12. Despite Niki Poonacha and Sriram Balaji getting the better of Benjamin Lock and Vishnu Vardhan 14-11 in the men’s doubles category, Hyderabad Strikers won the match 57-43.
The third match of the day saw Punjab Patriots and Yash Mumbai Eagles go head-to-head. Elina Avanesyan won a nail-biting contest against Zeynep Sonmez 13-12 in the women’s singles. In the men’s singles, Karan Singh of Yash Mumbai Eagles dominated against Mukund Sasikumar of Punjab Patriots 18-7.
Saketh Myneni and Elina Avanesyan of the Punjab Patriots came out on top against Jeevan Neduncheziyan and Zeynep Sonmez, winning 13-12 in a hard-fought game in the Mixed Doubles category.
In another close contest in the Men’s Doubles category, Saketh Myneni and Mukund Sasikumar faced Jeevan Neduncheziyan and Karan Singh. The Yash Mumbai Eagles duo won the game 13-12, sealing the match with a scoreline of 55-45.
In the final match of the day, Bengaluru SG Pipers and Chennai Smashers took centre stage. Chennai Smashers’ Conny Perrin won her women’s singles game against Gabriela Knutson of the Bengaluru SG Pipers 13-12. It was another closely fought encounter in the men’s singles, where Hugo Gaston triumphed against Bernabe Zapata 13-12.
Chennai Smashers continued their domination as the pair of Conny Perrin and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli cruised to a 17-8 victory against Anirudh Chandrasekar and Gabriela Knutson. In the final game of the day, Bengaluru SG Pipers got the win in the men’s doubles category. Anirudh Chandrasekar and Bernabe Zapata clinched a 14-11 win against Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli and Hugo Gaston. However, the Chennai Smashers still ended up winning the match 54-46.
After an exciting day of action on Day One, Hyderabad Strikers and Rajasthan Rangers are on top of the table with 57 points each. Yash Mumbai Eagles are in third place with 55 points, while Chennai Smashers are right behind in fourth place with 54 points. Followed by them are the Bengaluru SG Pipers and Punjab Patriots tied on 45 points. To complete the league standings, it was Bengal Wizards and Gujarat Panthers with 43 points each. (Agency)
