Ivanovic fuels Indian Aces comebcack win vs Manila Mavericks

MANILA, Philippines – Ana Ivanovic and Gael Monfils saved the Micromax Indian Aces from the claws of defeat with stirring performances to score a riveting 26-25 win over hard-luck Manila Mavericks at the start of the India leg of the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) presented by Qartar Airways.

Ivanovic forced a Super Shootout between the two teams when she beat Kristina Flipkens in the women’s singles, 6-2, as both the Aces and the Mavericks ended up with 25 aggregate points apiece.

Gael Monfils, who lost a 4-6 decision earlier in the men’s singles, came back to haunt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the Mavericks as he won the Super Shootout, 1-0, in a nail-biting finish to the delight of a huge Saturday night crowd at the Indira Ghandi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.

“We were ready for the Super Shootout in case Ana wins and that is exactly what happened and we are thrilled with the win,” Monfils said.

The win allowed the Aces to hold on to their lead with their fifth win in seven matches, hiking their overall points to 24, three ahead of second place UAE Royals. The Mavericks fell to third spot with 19 points as they suffered their fourth loss against three wins.

But none is more heartbreaking than this loss as the Mavericks looked poised to win the match and force a triple tie on top.

Flipkens and Daniel Nestor continued their mastery of hometown bets Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza with a close 6-5 win in the mixed doubles to open the match.

Mark Philippoussis remained unbeaten in the tournament, adding Cedric Pioline to his victims in the legends game with a 6-4 win.

Bopanna atoned for his lackluster performance earlier as he teamed up with Monfils to stop the streaking Tsonga and Treat Huey in the men’s doubles, 6-5.

“I was definitely a little nervous playing at home. It was a close doubles, an even closer mixed doubles, and it feels fantastic to pull through,” said Bopanna, who hails from Bagalore, India.  

“With Monfils, we played with a lot of confidence, understood the game of the opponents who were playing very well and having lost the mixed doubles, I wanted to win the men’s doubles,” added the hometown hero.

Tsonga came back to defeat Monfils, 6-4, to give the Mavericks a four-point buffer, 23-19. But the Aces leaned on Ivanovic’s brilliance to write the epic comeback for the home team.

In the other match, the UAE Royals pulled Singapore Slammers back to earth with a 29-16 rout.

Without world no. 1 Serena Williams, the Slammers found it difficult against the Royals.  Marin Cilic fueled UAE’s dominant performance with a 6-3 win over Lleyton Hewitt.

Cilic sustained his fiery form in the men’s doubles as he and Nenad Zimonjic slammed Hewitt and Nick Kyrgios, 6-2. Goran Ivanisevic clinched the win with an easy rout against Pat Rafter in the legends game. The big Croat won the first five games before cruising to a 6-1 victory.

With the momentum on their side, the Royals did not stop from piling up points with Zimonjic and Kristina Mladenovic putting together another impressive performance in a 6-4 win against Daniela Hantuchova and Kyrgios in the mixed doubles.

With the match already beyond their reach, Hantuchova and the Slammers picked up a confidence-boosting win against world no. 8 Caroline Wozniacki in the final set, 6-5.