Hyderabad Strikers follow in hot pursuit

Local favourite Yash Mumbai Eagles overcame an unexpected hiccup in their previous round (against Hyderabad Strikers to whom they lost by a narrow margin of 48-52) by registering a clean sweep against debutants Chennai Smashers.in round 4 tie to move to the top of the table at the end of yet another enthralling  action packed evening in the ongoing Tennis Premier League Season (TPL) 6 that is being played at the floodlit Cricket Club of India Centre Court in Mumbai on Friday.

With 215 points Yash Mumbai Eagles, overhauled Thursday’s leader Hyderabad Strikers who follow closely with 211 points. Rajasthan Rangers on the other hand sit in third place, followed by Gujarat Panthers in fourth place with 205 and 201 points respectively. Defending champions Bengaluru SG Pipers and Punjab Patriots are tied in fifth place with 198 points. After having an ordinary day, Chennai Smashers have dropped down to seventh position with 190 points, while Bengal Wizards occupy the bottom of the eight franchise league table with 182 points.

Yash Mumbai Eagles and Chennai Smashers headlined the second match of the day as the battle for the qualification spots heats up. Twenty- two year old Zeynep Sonmez (Turkey), ranked 80 in the WTA ranking outclassed her experienced opponent Conny Perrin (Switzerland), WTA ranked 142 in the Women’s Singles, winning 16-9 to give Yash Mumbai Eagles a head start. India’s fourth ranked Singles player Karan Singh also won his game against French Hugo Gaston with a scoreline of 14-11.
 
The Mixed Doubles encounter was a nail-biter that saw the Yash Mumbai Eagles win the game courtesy Zeynep Sonmez and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, who got the better of Conny Perrin and India’s doubles specialist Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli by a scoreline of 13-12. Karan Singh and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan later defeated Hugo Gaston and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli by a scoreline of 15-10 in the Men’s Doubles category, to complete the clean sweep for Yash Mumbai Eagles, giving them a dominant 58-42 win.

Earlier in the opening game Bengal Wizards and Gujarat Panthers were logged in an intense battle. The day started with a thrilling match between Ekaterina Kazionova and Kamilla Rakhimova with the former clinching a 13-12 win in the Women’s Singles category. India;s ranked no. 1 Singles player Sumit Nagal celebrated his direct entry in to the forthcoming Australian Grand Slam by getting the better of Niki Poonacha in the Men’s Singles category, winning by a scoreline of 16-9.

In the Mixed Doubles category, Bengal Wizards duo of Kamilla Rakhimova and Sriram Balaji won 15–10 against Ekaterina Kazionova and Siddhant Banthia. To conclude the action in the first match, Sriram Balaji and Niki Poonacha won a thrilling game against Sumit Nagal and Siddhant Banthia with a scoreline of 13-12. However, Gujarat Panthers emerged victorious in the match, winning 51-49.
 
The third match saw Punjab Patriots take on Rajasthan Rangers in the second half of the day. In the Women’s Singles category, Punjab Patriots’ Elina Avanesyan defeated Rajasthan Rangers’ Christina Dinu with a scoreline of 15-10. Arthur Fery of Rajasthan Rangers dominated against Mukund Sasikumar of Punjab Patriots, winning the Men’s Singles category with a scoreline of 16-9.
 
In the Mixed Doubles, Punjab Patriots’ Elina Avanesyan and Saketh Myneni won a tightly contested game against Christina Dinu and Rohan Bopanna with a score of 13-12. The Men’s Doubles category game saw Rohan Bopanna and Arthur Fery of Rajasthan Rangers prevail over Mukund Sasikumar and Saketh Myneni of Punjab Patriots with a narrow score of 13-12, helping Rajasthan Rangers claim victory with a final scoreline of 51-49.
 
In the last match of the day, Bengaluru SG Pipers locked horns with the Hyderabad Strikers. To open the proceedings in the Women’s Singles, Gabriela Knutson of Bengaluru SG Pipers won against the in-form Harriet Dart with a scoreline of 13-12. Bernabe Zapata Miralles built on the momentum for Bengaluru SG Pipers as he defeated Benjamin Lock of Hyderabad Strikers by a scoreline of 15-10 in the Men’s Singles Category.
 
Gabriela Knutson and Anirudh Chandrasekar of Bengaluru SG Pipers edged out a 13-12 win over Hyderabad Strikers’ Harriet Dart and Vishnu Vardhan in the Mixed Doubles category. In the Men’s Doubles, Benjamin Lock and Vishnu Vardhan got over the line in another tight contest against Bernabe Zapata Miralles and Anirudh Chandrasekar, winning 13-12. Bengaluru SG Pipers won the match with a scoreline of 53-47, closing the curtains on an exciting day of action.