MANILA, Philippines -- The star-studded Obi UAE Royals started their title chase in the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League with a hot start beating the Oue Singapore Slammers on Wednesday at the Kobe Hall in Kobe, Japan.
A close second to Season 1 champions Micromax Indian Aces, the Royals came in well prepared and determined in their bid to win this season's crown.
Ana Ivanovic, who played for the Aces last season, opened the match by winning the women’s singles 6-3 over Belinda Bencic to give the Royals a good headstart.
In the men’s singles, Nick Kyrgios convincingly won against Tomas Berdych in the power-packed shot making set that proved to be a hit with the big opening day crowd. Kyrgios' 6-2 win proved to be the only set Slammers won in the match.
In the men’s doubles, Berdych played with doubles legend Daniel Nestor and the duo showcased some brilliant shot-making against crowd favorite Dustin Brown and Marcelo Melo. The Royals won it by a hairline, 6-5, in the longest set in the match at 32 minutes.
The tandem of Kristina Mladenovic and Nestor played well in their first team-up even as Goran Ivanisevic weaved his magic as they the mixed doubles and legends sets, respectively, for the Royals in identical 6-3 scores to wrap up the match.
“I played the IPTL last year, so I knew what to expect. I trained particularly for it this time since I know it’s going to be tough. Last year we played good tennis, and everyone played to win. This year, it’s going to be more competitive. So I made sure that I come prepared for IPTL," Ivanisevic said.
The Royals will take on the home team Legendari Japan Warriors in the second match in Day Two of the opening leg.