Abu Dhabi, Dec 20 (IANS) Game Changers Falcons secured their second consecutive victory in World Tennis League Season 3, edging past Kites 24-21 at the iconic Etihad Arena here on Friday. With this win, the Falcons finished Day 2 atop the points table with a total of 53 points. TSL Hawks, who also claimed a win earlier in the day, ended in second place with 47 points, followed by Kites in third with 46 points, and HonorFX Eagles in fourth with 34 points.
In the women’s doubles, Simona Halep and Jasmine Paolini made an explosive start for the Kites, breaking the serve of Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia in the very first game and surging to a 2-0 lead after a clean opening serve. However, the Game Changers Falcons’ duo took some time to settle and not only levelled the score but marched ahead to lead 5-3.
The Kites fought back, as they won two consecutive games to make it 5-5 and eventually pushed the set into a tiebreak after a 6-6 deadlock. Despite an early deficit, Rybakina and Garcia maintained composure to clinch the set 7-6, giving Game Changers Falcons a narrow lead.
In the women’s singles, Rybakina didn’t allow Halep to settle in. She led the entire set leaving Halep having to catch up. Rybakina closed the set 6-4 comfortably to extend Game Changers Falcons’ overall lead to 13-10.
The mixed doubles clash between Caroline Garcia and Denis Shapovalov and Jasmine Paolini and Nick Kyrgios was an evenly-contested affair. However, it was Paolini and Kyrgios who got the better of Garcia and Shapovalov, as they broke after a 5-5 deadlock and held their serve to clinch the set 7-6. Their victory narrowed the overall score to 17-18 in favour of the Kites.
In the showdown set of the match, Game Changers Falcons’ hero from the season opener Andrey Rublev continued his fine form as he broke Kyrgios’ serve to lead 4-2. Kyrgios did narrow the margin, but Rublev showcased determination to close the set 6-4 and help his team secure a second consecutive win of the season.
Earlier on Friday, TSL Hawks defeated HonorFX Eagles 21-14 in match 3 of the competition.
Speaking about the game, Kyrgios said, “Every game counts in the World Tennis League. When you look at the statistics, it doesn’t matter if a match seems lopsided—you want to fight for your team, and I love that. For me, this is the perfect return because it’s not overwhelming, just the right amount of tennis. I also love the mixed doubles format, you get to see your favourite male and female players competing together on the same team. I never imagined seeing myself and Paolini on the same court, on the same side of the net, and that is really cool to witness.”
–IANS
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