Advertisement

IPTL: Aces again bank on Monfils and Ivanovic, thump hometown Mavericks

Manila, Philippines-Ana Ivanovic of the Micromax Indian Aces celebrates after winning the game against Maria Sharapova of the Manila Mavericks during the IPTL at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay,south of Manila on 29 November 2014. (Czeasar Dancel/NPPA Images)

The Micromax Indian Aces continued their fine run in the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League, easily turning back the hometown Manila Mavericks, 24-15, before a good-sized Saturday night crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Following their 26-16 drubbing of the Singapore Slammers in the inaugural match of this groundbreaking tournament Friday night, the Aces relied on the sterling play of Gael Monfils and Ana Ivanovic to disappoint the home crowd.

Team captain Fabrice Santoro got the ball rolling with an easy 6-1 victory in the past champions’ set, where his original opponent, Carlos Moya, was forced to retire due to injury. Santoro was up 3-1 when Moya suffered a groin injury. Mavericks team captain Treat Huey sent in Daniel Nestor as replacement, but Santoro easily won the last there games to wrap up the set, 6-1.

The Mavericks bounced back in the men’s doubles set, with Huey and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga blanking Monfils and Rohan Bopanna, 6-0. Huey provided the highlight of the night with a between-the-legs shot that Monfils failed to handle and which helped give the Mavericks a 3-0 lead. The pair would go on to serve up a bagel, a result which had Tsonga celebrating enthusiastically afterwards.

“It was great,” the Frenchman said. “We’re not too far behind them now.”

In reality, the result shoved the Mavericks ahead, 7-6, heading into the men’s singles set. But it would prove to be their last stand.

In the men’s singles set, Monfils and Andy Murray engaged in a tight duel that featured five breaks of serve. Monfils edged ahead 5-4 but Murray fought back to move within a point of leveling the set. With Murray leading 40-30 in the 10th game and on the verge of tying the set at 5-all and forcing a shootout, Monfils called for a Happiness Power Point, which awards two game points. The ploy paid off as Murray hit it into the net after a brief exchange, giving Monfils the set at 6-4 and restoring the lead to the Aces at 12-11.

The Aces pulled further away after Rohan Bopanna and Sanja Mirza crushed Murray and Maria Sharapova in mixed doubles, 6-1, to increase their lead to 17-12. It was a good bounce-back performance for Bopanna after the shellacking he and Monfils received in the men’s doubles set.

“After my men’s doubles, I needed to wake up a little bit,” said the Indian star.

In the featured set of the night, Ana Ivanovic continued her fine form in the tournament, outplaying a struggling Sharapova, 6-3, to clinch the win for the Aces at 24-15. Ivanovic broke her opponent’s serve three times, as Sharapova groped for form, even double-faulting two times in a row in the seventh game.

Trailing 30-40 in the in the ninth game, Ivanovic called for a Happiness Power Point in a bid to win the game and the set outright. It paid off as she forced Sharapova to a tough backhand that sailed out of bounds.

With their second straight win, the Aces have now collected eight total points. The Mavericks suffered their second loss, with this one being worth only one point since they scored less than 20 points.