Indian Aces crowned IPTL champions

Hyderabad: The Micromax Indian Aces, who charmed tennis lovers in Manila, Singapore, New Delhi and Dubai, were on Saturday crowned champions of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League here.The Aces suffered a 15-29 defeat at the hand of the UAE Royals, but that did little to dent their chances of lifting the trophy.In the opening set, Kristina Mladenovic displayed stunning form against Ana Ivanovic but the Indian Aces star won won 6-5.

Nenad Zimonjic then paired up with Mladenovic to defeat the Aces’ powerful mixed doubles pairing of Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza 6 -2. In the men’s doubles, Zimonjic was first joined by Novak Djokovic, and later by Goran Ivanisevic, against Cedric Pioline and mercurial Frenchman Gael Mofils, in a set that witnessed fascinating volleys and intelligent rallies from both pairs. The Royals won the set 6-2 to build a decent lead.

In the Past Champions’ set, Ivanisevic defeated Pioline 6-5 before an appreciative crowd.In the final set, the men’s singles, World No.1 Djokovic blanked Monfils 6-0 to wrap up a comprehensive victory. However, thanks to their brilliant start to the tournament, the Aces were awarded the trophy. Indian star Sania said: “After we won the first three matches in a row, we felt that we were probably one of the best teams. But then we had a couple of rough days. We had confidence in each other, and we were playing hard to win. We’re really glad to have won the trophy!”