Singapore Slammers bounce back, extend Japan Warriors' woes

MANILA, Philippines -- The OUE Singapore Slammers added to the woes of the Legendari Japan Warriors opening the Coca-Cola International Premier League Season 2 Manila leg with a bang with an easy 29-20 victory at the Mall of Asia Arena. 

It was a rebound win for the Slammers, who squandered an early lead in their 22-27 loss to the defending champion Micromax Indian Aces in the final day of the Japan leg the other day. 

This time, they made sure there would be no repeat of that meltdown.

Spaniard legend Carlos Moya took the opening set beating Marat Safin, 6-4, to set in motion the Slammers' second win in the fast-paced style, team tournament.  

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While the Slammers gave up the next set, they took the next three sets to coast to the easy victory. 

Leander Paes and Pierre-Hugues Herbert gave the Warriors their only win in the match outlasting the Slammers' pair of Marcelo Melo and Dustin Brown in a thrilling 6-5 victory that needed a super shootout (7-6) to decide. 

In the women's singles, Kurumi Nara failed to duplicate her stunning upset over world no. 1 Serena Williams the other day.  Swiss sensation Belinda Bencic was putting on a clinic, 5-2, when Mirjana Lucic Baroni came in to replace Nara.  But not even the tactical substitution, an innovation introduced by the IPTL, could not salvage the match as the 19-year old Bencic wrap it up in the next game. 

With Bencic's 6-2 victory, the Slammers erected a five-point cushion heading into the final two sets. 

Nick Kyrgios, who was endeared to Manila fans last year, went through a wringer before turning back the 32-year old German Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-5, via super shootout (7-5). 

Kyrgios and Bencic wrapped up the match with an easy 6-3 win over the tandem of Herbert and Lucic-Baroni as the Slammers kept the expansion team from Japan winless in their maiden season. 

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