Hyderabad readies to usher in CTL today
Hyderabad Readies to Usher in CTL Today. It will be a big day for Indian tennis when the ambitiously carved Champions Tennis League (CTL) begins at the state-of-the-art Lal Bahadur Stadium SAAP Tennis Complex here on Monday.
Hyderabad: It will be a big day for Indian tennis when the ambitiously carved Champions Tennis League (CTL) begins at the state-of-the-art Lal Bahadur Stadium SAAP Tennis Complex here on Monday.
Host Hyderabad Aces, whose fortunes will be spearheaded by Mark ‘The Scud’ Philippoussis and Martina Hingis, will start their campaign against Bangalore Raptors at 8pm that will mark the commencement of a new chapter in Indian sports, part.
Joining the two in the team will be Mikhail Youzhny (who will partner Hingis in mixed doubles) and Jeevan Nedunchezihiyan.
The entire team arrived in the city early Sunday morning and spent two hours practicing on the courts even as Hingis was the star attraction. The Former Swiss Miss obliged young autograph hunters and also interacted with some of them.
She told reporters that practicing along with southpaw Jeevan was a good start for her. She expressed confidence that Hyderabad Aces would lift the trophy on Boxing Day for that perfect Christmas and New Year gift.
Stating that she liked the format of the league, she said, ‘We have great players. Each player will be playing only one set and other player of the team will be supporting.’
It will not be an easy affair for the host, though as the opponents have some impressive names in their ranks like Venus Williams, Feliciano Lopez, Thomas Enquist and Ramkumar Ramanathan.
Each match will be a one-set affair and the tie-breaker will be introduced at 5-5 and not at the usual 6-6. In the end, the team that wins the maximum number of games will be declared winner.
Hyderabad Aces will face Pune Marathas on Tuesday. Unfortunately, there is no Hyderabad flavour in Aces as the only prominent name in CTL is Saketh Myneni who is turning up for Pune Marathas, which has Pat Cash the flamboyant 1987 Wimbledon champion, who will match Venus Williams in magnetic appeal.
Teams: Hyderabad Aces: Mark Philippoussis, Mikhail Youzhny, Martina Hingis, Jeevan Nedunchezihiyan; Bangalore Raptors: Thomas Enqvist, Feliciano Lopez, Venus Williams, Ramkumar Ramanathan; Pune Marathas: Pat Cash, Marcos Baghdatis, Agnieszka Radwanska, Saketh Myneni.
