The opening day of Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 7 unfolded with exciting and competitive matches at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium in Ahmedabad, marking the league's debut in the city. Star players like Rohan Bopanna, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty, and Luciano Darderi thrilled the crowd as all eight teams took to the charcoal-colored court for action-packed encounters on Tuesday.
SG Pipers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Rangers kicked off their campaigns with victories following two closely fought matches.
The season's first match featured SG Pipers Bengaluru against Gurgaon Grand Slammers, with Sahaja Yamalapalli and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty contesting the opening Women's Singles game. Shrivalli set the tone for SG Pipers with an 18-7 win. She then
paired with Rohan Bopanna in Mixed Doubles, securing a hard-earned 14-11 win over Sahaja and Sriram Balaji. Despite Dan Evans pulling one back for Gurgaon Grand Slammers by defeating Ramkumar Ramnathan 16-9 in Men's Singles, the SG Pipers duo of Bopanna and Ramnathan clinched Men's Doubles 15-10 over Balaji and Evans. SG Pipers Bengaluru emerged triumphant with a 56-44 overall score.
Defending champions Hyderabad Strikers battled Rajasthan Rangers in the second match. Carole Monnet started strong for the Strikers with an 18-7 win against Ekaterina Kazionova in Women's Singles. However, Kazionova teamed up with Dhakshineswar Suresh to narrowly win the Mixed Doubles 13-12 over Monnet and Vishnu Vardhan. Luciano Darderi spearheaded Rajasthan Rangers' comeback with a 15-10 Men's Singles victory against Pedro Martinez and then combined with Suresh to dominate the Men's Doubles 17-8 against Vardhan and Martinez. Rajasthan Rangers clinched a tight 52-48 win.
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