Champions Tennis League: Bangalore Raptors eye turnaround
Home side look to turn their fortunes after losing opening match against Hyderabad Aces
By : sandeep menon
Update: 2014-11-20 02:19 GMT
Bengaluru: For tennis enthusiasts in Bengaluru, 2014 has been a standout year. While the Davis Cup tie saw a nail biting and high intensity competition between India and Serbia, the Champions Tennis League encounter between Bangalore Raptors and Pune Marathas at the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association courts on Thursday is set to showcase the fun side of the game.
How often does one get to see the top players from the world of tennis live in action on their own backyard? While the party atmosphere is a given, the clash also promises to be a classy encounter with the likes of Felicano Lopez, Venus Williams, Marcos Baghdatis and Agnieszka Radwanska all set to feature.
Add to that, former legends Thomas Enqvist and Pat Cash and rising Indian stars Ramkumar Ramanathan and Saketh Myneni and you have a good mix.
With the opening game loss against Hyderabad Aces, Raptors will be keen to turn it around at home. An added significance to the encounter is the long awaited return of Venus Williams to the Garden City after her semifinal tussle with younger sister Serena at the Bangalore Open in 2008.
“I’m excited to be playing in a professional league. Happy to be back and I am looking forward to the next couple of days,” said the star.
There is also the presence of Lopez, the heartthrob of the ATP tour, which is set to send the temperatures soaring in the stadium on a nippy November evening while the encounter between Cash and Enqvist is sure to tickle the heart of the tennis romantics.
Ramanthan and Myneni would also be up to show what they are capable of. Meanwhile, the Marathas come into the contest on the back of a stellar performance against the Aces. With the unpredictable Baghdatis and the ever dangerous Radwansaka, the visiting side too boasts of a strong line-up.