UAE Royals face Manila Mavericks as IPTL rolls into Dubai
Tennis stars ranging from retired legend Pete Sampras, world number one Novak Djokovic and India's Sania Mirza are set to dazzle Dubai fans in the finale of the inaugural Indian Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
The Coca-Cola IPTL presented by Qatar Airways which aims to 'break the code' of tennis with a bold, fast-paced format, with team ties consisting of five one-set matches, has rolled into Dubai for the final leg.
The tournament which started in Manila before moving onto Singapore and then Delhi will see the crowning of the inaugural champions at the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Sports Complex on Saturday December 13.
After three legs, the Micromax Indian Aces lead the standings with a record of six wins and three losses and 30 total points.
Hosts Musafir.com UAE Royals and Manila Mavericks which have identical 5-4 records and 27 points are not far behind.
Running fourth are the DBS Singapore Slammers with a 2-7 card and 17 total points.
The three-day competition opens on Thursday December 11 with Indian Aces taking on Singapore Slammers at 4pm while UAE Royals face Manila Mavericks at 7.30pm.
Djokovic will lead the charge for UAE Royals having made his IPTL debut on the final day of the previous leg in Delhi, India.
The Serb is joined by former women’s world number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Kristina Mladenovic of France, Marin Cilic and Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, Malek Jaziri of Tunisia and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia.
UAE Royals are on a high after upstaging Indian Aces 29-22 and will be buoyed by the fact that they ended the unbeaten run of Manila Mavericks 26-21.
Despite the early losses, Djokovic remains confident that in Dubai he can get back to winning ways in the decisive leg.
Schedule
Thursday December 11
4pm: Micromax Indian Aces vs DBS Singapore Slammers; 7.30pm: Musafir.com UAE Royals vs Manila Mavericks
Friday December 12
4pm: Manila Mavericks vs DBS Singapore Slammers; 7.30pm: Musafir.com UAE Royals vs Micromax Indian Aces
Saturday December 13
4 pm: Manila Mavericks vs Micromax Indian Aces; 7.30pm: Musafir.com UAE Royals vs DBS Singapore Slammers
Standings P W L Pts
Micromax Indian Aces 9 6 3 30
Musafir.com UAE Royals 9 5 4 27
Manila Mavericks 9 5 4 27
Singapore Slammers 9 2 7 17