Ahmedabad, Dec 13 (IANS) GS Delhi Aces registered the biggest margin of victory this season, booking their semifinal berth alongside SG Pipers, Yash Mumbai Eagles, and Rajasthan Rangers on the penultimate day of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 7, which witnessed high-octane tennis action at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
GS Delhi Aces will take on the Rajasthan Rangers in the first semifinal, while SG Pipers will face Yash Mumbai Eagles in the second. With the defending champions, Hyderabad Strikers, out of the competition, a new Tennis Premier League champion will be crowned on Sunday.
Rajasthan Rangers and Chennai Smashers got proceedings underway in the opening game on Saturday. Ekaterina Kazionova and Irina Bara faced off in the Women’s Singles match, with the former clinching a 13-12 win to set the tone for the Rangers. In the Mixed Doubles match, Ekaterina Kazionova and Dhakshineswar Suresh registered a 14-11 win against Irina Bara and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli.
World no. 26 Luciano Darderi cruised to a 15-10 victory against Dalibor Svrcina in the Men’s Singles. Although Dalibor Svrcina and Rithvik Choudary Bollipalli managed a 14-11 win against Luciano Darderi and Dhakshineswar Suresh, Rajasthan Rangers prevailed 53-47 in the matchup.
In the second match of the day, table-toppers GS Delhi Aces carried on their exceptional run with a win against Gujarat Panthers. Sofia Costoulas triumphed 18-7 against Nuria Brancaccio in the Women’s Singles. Sofia Costoulas then teamed up with Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan to win 15-10 against Nuria Brancaccio and Anirudh Chandrasekar in the Mixed Doubles.
Billy Harris secured a narrow 13-12 win against world no. 42, Alexandre Müller, world no. 42, in the Men’s Singles. Billy Harris and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan completed the rout with a 16-9 victory against Alexandre Müller and Anirudh Chandrasekar, giving GS Delhi Aces a 62-38 win, the biggest margin of victory this season.
The third game saw Gurgaon Grand Slammers and Yash Mumbai Eagles battle it out. Sahaja Yamalapalli got the better of Riya Bhatia, winning 14-11 in the Women’s Singles. In the Mixed Doubles, Riya Bhatia and Niki Poonacha responded with a 15-10 win against Sahaja Yamalapalli and Sriram Balaji.
The Men’s Singles witnessed Damir Dzumhur complete a 15-10 victory against Dan Evans. Damir Dzumhur and Niki Poonacha wrapped up the action with a commanding 17-8 win against Dan Evans and Sriram Balaji in the Men’s Doubles, giving Yash Mumbai Eagles a 58-42 victory.
SG Pipers and Hyderabad Strikers clashed in the final game of the day. In the Women’s Singles, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty prevailed 13-12 against Carole Monnet. The former then teamed up with Rohan Bopanna in the Mixed Doubles, registering a 15-10 win against Carole Monnet and Vishnu Vardhan.
Ramkumar Ramanathan carried on his fine run in the tournament, beating Bernabe Zapata 15-10 in the Men’s Singles. Ramkumar Ramanathan and Rohan Bopanna rounded up the action with a 14-11 win, completing a 57-43 victory for SG Pipers.
–IANS
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