Tennis Premier League 2023 Day 2: Predictions, Preview and Where to Watch
If the action on the opening day of the 2023 Tennis Premier League is anything to go by, day 2 promises to be much more intense and captivating.
While Punjab Patriots edged past Bengaluru Mavericks 41-39, two-time champions Hyderabad Strikers got their title defense off to the worst possible start after going down to debutants Bengal Wizards 46-34.
Local fans were left disappointed as Delhi Binny's Brigade defeated the Pune Jaguars 42-38 even as the Gujarat Panthers cruised to victory against Mumbai Leon Army with the scoreline reading 46-34.
Let's take a look at the action that's lined up for December 13.
Match 1: Bengaluru SG Mavericks vs Pune Jaguars, 4:30 PM
Fancied sides Bengaluru SG Mavericks and Pune Jaguars would be keen to register wins on Day 2 of the Tennis Premier League after having gone down fighting by narrow margins in their opening matches.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, who secured a win against Digvijay Pratap Singh of Punjab Patriots, will be key to the fortunes of the Bengaluru outfit.
Pune's Lukas Rosol, who lost to Dennis Novak 13-7 before going down to the duo of Novak and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan while partnering with Rithvik Bollipalli in the doubles event, will be hoping for a change of fortune against Bengaluru.
Prediction: Conny Perrin of Punjab Patriots had a big role to play in getting her side over the line against the SG Mavericks, but the Bengaluru side will be expected to bounce back with a win against Pune.
Match 2: Punjab Tigers vs Delhi Binny’s Brigade, 5:55 PM
Two teams who were on fire on Day 1 of the Tennis Premier League will seek to maintain their winning momentum when the action unfolds on Wednesday.
Dennis Novak, who is currently ranked 165, spearheaded Delhi Binny's Brigades to a creditable win over Pune Jagaurs. The Austrian will continue to be a force to reckon with as one of the biggest international names in the competition.
Conny Perrin, meanwhile, made her mark in the tournament for the Strikers last season, but will now bolster the Punjab Tigers side.
Prediction: Dennis Novak and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan have what it takes to ensure a second successive win for the Binny's Brigade, in what is expected to be a close encounter.
Match 3: Hyderabad Strikers vs Gujarat Panthers, 7:20 PM
With names like Sumit Nagal and Karman Kaur Thandi to boast of, the Gujarat Panthers may well be the team to beat in the ongoing Tennis Premier League.
The country's top-ranked singles player showed his class against Ernests Gulbis, who has six ATP tour titles to his name, winning by a 12-8 margin on Tuesday while Karman Kaur Thandi was on song against Sowjanya Bavisetti, prevailing 14-6.
After getting past the Mumbai Leon Army, the Panthers now have the defending champions in their sights.
Prediction: Niki Poonacha, Ellen Perez, and Saketh Myneni must be at their best to fend off the Panthers' challenge but expect the Gujarat side to prevail.
Match 4: Bengal Wizards vs Mumbai Leon Army, 8:45 PM
Bengal Wizards, backed by Leander Paes, were impressive during the opening win thanks to Sriram Balaji who got his team off to a victorious start in both singles and doubles.
At 35, Ernests Gulbis, who was a French Open semifinalist back in 2014, may not have age on his side, but the former top-10 player's experience is what the Mumbai Leon Army will rely on in the second match of the Tennis Premier League.
Prediction: The Mumbai Leon Army were comprehensively beaten in the opener and will need to regroup even as the Wizards will be expected to come away victorious.
Tennis Premier League - Where to Watch?
The Tennis Premier League 2023 will be telecast on the Sony Sports Network. The Sony Sports Ten 2 channel will telecast the matches, while Sony LIV and the YouTube channel of the Tennis Premier League will live stream all the games.