Tennis Premier League 2023 Day 2 report: Niki Poonacha and Ellen Perez lead Hyderabad Strikers' surge & more
The second day of the Tennis Premier League 2023 witnessed exhilarating match-ups unfold, with teams fighting for each point as the leaders’ table begins to take some shape.
Top international names including Arina Rodionova, Lukas Rosol, and Dennis Novak scored big wins for their respective sides, but it was unheralded Indian names like Niki Poonacha and Sowjanya Bavisetti who shined on Day 2.
In case you missed any of the live action, here’s everything that went down on Day 2 of the Tennis Premier League 2023:
Bengaluru SG Mavericks def. Pune Jaguars 44-36
Arina Rodionova got the Bengaluru SG Mavericks off to a flying start, taking a commanding 15-5 win over Pune Jaguars’ Diana Marcinkevica.
The big-serving Ramkumar Ramanathan, however, struggled to keep pace with Czech player Lukas Rosol, who put the Jaguars back in contention with a 13-7 win.
Rodionova partnered Vishnu Vardhan to close out an 11-9 win for Bengaluru in the mixed doubles event. Vishnu Vardhan partnered with Ramanathan for another win in the men's doubles event - marked by spectacular serving and returning - to see the Mavericks sail home.
Punjab Patriots def. Delhi Binny’s Brigade 43-37
Delhi Binny’s Brigade’s Sahaja Yamalapalli put up a brave fight against Conny Perrin of the Punjab Patriots, slugging it out from the baseline to hold her more-fancied opponent at 9-11 in a losing cause.
In a reversal of the above scoreline, Punjab’s Digvijay Pratap Singh went down against the feisty Dennis Novak to bring the scores level. The Punjab Patriots, however, took both the mixed and men's doubles events to close out the tie 43-37.
Hyderabad Strikers def. Gujarat Panthers 46-34
Hyderabad Strikers’ Ellen Perez continued her purple match on the second day, logging a win over India No. 2 Karman Thandi - prevailing 13-7. She would return for the mixed doubles and partnered with Saketh Myneni for her second win.
Niki Poonacha also had a heroic outing for Strikers as he ousted fellow countryman and the top-ranked Indian Sumit Nagal 12-8 in the men’s singles. Poonacha drew the doubles 10-10, with Myneni lending a helping hand again.
Mumbai Leon Army def. Bengal Wizards 44-36
Sowjanya Bavisetti sprung a surprise in the opening rubber of the final tie between Mumbai Leon Army and Bengal Wizards, notching a comprehensive 11-9 win over the young Maria Timofeeva. The Indian carried her good form into the mixed doubles event to post a 14-6 win after partnering with Vijay Sundar Prashanth.
Sriram Balaji, who had delivered for the Wizards in his opener, could not find many answers to the big serving Ernests Gulbis - going down 12-8. The Indian managed to exact revenge in the men’s doubles, prevailing 13-7 over Gulbis and Prashanth. That, however, was not enough as Wizards went down 36-44 to Mumbai.