(This post also appears on ManilaMavericks.net)
MANILA, Philippines - The DBS Singapore Slammers ended the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) on a high note, defeating the Novak Djokovic-led Musafir.com UAE Royals in the final match of the tournament.
The Slammers took three of the five sets of the match.
Daniel Hantuchova opened the Slammers campaign with a crushing 6-1 victory over Caroline Wozniacki.
Goran Ivansevic of the Royals, however, gave his team the second set, 6-1, against Patrick Rafter.
Nenad Zimonjic and Kristina Mladenovic gave the lead to the Royals with a 6-4 win over Hantuchova and Bruno Soares.
The men's doubles tandem of Lleyton Hewiit and Nick Kyrgios finally clicked to win the fourth set for the Slammers, 6-3, against Zimonjic and Marin Cilic.
ATP World No. 7 Thomas Berdych sealed the win for the Slammers, outlasting Djokovic in the final set, 6-5.
The match results placed the Royals second in the team rankings with 33 points, behind first IPTL champions Musafir.com UAE Royals' 38.
The Slammers are in the last place with 23 points, while the Manila Mavericks placed third with 31 points.