Tennis Premier League 2023 Day 4 report: Bengaluru SG Mavericks' Ramkumar Ramanathan hands Sumit Nagal a drubbing & more
The fourth day of the Tennis Premier League 2023 saw two of the most recognisable faces from the current crop of Indian players lock horns, with Ramkumar Ramanathan ousting Sumit Nagal to help Bengaluru SG Mavericks score a big win.
Dennis Novak and Conny Perrin were among the international names who continued to win big for their respective sides as the league entered a crucial stage. Here, we provide a quick recap of everything that unfolded on Day 4 of the Tennis Premier League 2023.
Punjab Patriots def. Mumbai Leon Army 43-37
Conny Perrin is turning into quite an asset for Punjab Patriots as she logged her fourth singles win of the competition, once again showcasing her sublime single-handed backhand in the 11-9 win over Mumbai Leon Army’s Sowjanya Bavisetti.
Ernests Gulbis, however, brought matters level for Mumbai Leon Army by fending off a spirited Digvijay Pratap Singh 11-9. Perrin then partnered with Arjun Kadhe to take the mixed doubles 12-8 in favour of Punjab. Kadhe returned to close things out for the Patriots, partnering Digvijay in the men's doubles to clinch the win 11-9 and give Punjab Patriots an overall score of 43-37 over Mumbai Leon Army.
Bengaluru SG Mavericks def. Gujarat Panthers 46-34
Ekaterina Yashina, a late addition to the Gujarat Panthers’ squad, got her side to a positive start against Bengaluru SG Mavericks’ Arina Rodionova, taking the tie 12-8.
Ramkumar Ramanathan, however, then stunned India No. 1 Sumit Nagal. The latter had no response to the big serving and nifty net approaches of Ramanathan as Nagal succumbed to his biggest loss of the season 6-14. Seasoned Vishnu Vardhan then wrapped things up for the Mavericks, partnering Rodionova and Ramanathan to log wins in the mixed and men’s doubles. Bengaluru scored a thumping 46-34 win.
Delhi Binny’s Brigade def. Bengal Wizards 45-35
Sahaja Yamalapalli got Delhi Binny’s Brigade a surprise win over the big-hitting Maria Timofeeva of the Bengal Wizards, crafting her rallies well to oust her opponent convincingly 13-7. Dennis Novak of Delhi defeated Sriram Balaji as the Wizards found themselves staring at a big deficit after the two singles rubbers.
Wizards tried to mount a comeback as Timofeeva and Anirudh Chandrasekar took the mixed doubles 11-9, but the joy was short-lived as Novak and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan bagged the men’s doubles rubber with an identical scoreline to clinch Delhi the 45-35 victory.
Hyderabad Strikers def. Pune Jaguars 41-39
Hyderabad Strikers’ star performer Ellen Perez opened the final tie with a 15-5 dismissal of Pune Jaguars’ Diana Marcinkevica. Niki Poonacha, as he has done all week, once again punched above his weight to hold Lukas Rosol to a 10-10 tie in a match characterised by big serves and heavy forehands from both ends.
Marcinkevica combined with Rithvik for a much improved showing in the mixed doubles as they took the rubber 12-8 against Perez and Saketh Myneni. With the men’s doubles left to decide the outcome, Rosol and Rithvik came through, helping their side to the slimmest of wins 41-39.