– Pune Warriors continued their fantastic run as they came back from a 10 point deficit at 10-20 to defeat table toppers Punjab Bulls 46-44 in a nailbiting final match of the 2nd Kotak Mahindra Bank Tennis Premier League played at the Celebration Club, Andheri.
The victorious Pune Warriors team pose with the trophy at the prize distribution of the 2nd Kotak Mahindra Bank Tennis Premier League played at the Celebration Club, Andheri.
Pune Warriors were riding high on confidence winning all their games on their road to the finals but it was Punjab Bulls who had the upper hand as they won the Wheelchair, Boys U-14 and Girls U-18 ties and raced to a 20-10 lead. With 2 important ties remaining, all eyes were on Rutuja Bhosale to help Pune get back into the game. After a shaky start, Rutuja hit back to back winners, forcing her opponent Pranjala Yadlapalli to make errors and racing to a 11-5 lead. Pranajala managed to score a few quick points but Rujuta kept hitting back with her fiery forehand winners securing an 18-12 victory and reducing Pune Warrior’s deficit to 4 points for the final tie.
The Final tie was the battle of the best with Purav Raja and Siddharth Vishwakarma up against Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Manish Sureshkumar. Purav and Siddharth got off to a great start by winning 4 to level the match scores at 4-0. Jeevan and Manish could not match the sharp skills of Purav and the powerful service game of Siddharth and succumbed to a 12-18 defeat helping Pune Warriors lift the TPL crown.
Earlier in the semi-finals, both Pune Warriors and Punjab Bulls beat their respective opponents Gujarat Panthers and Hyderabad Strikers with an Identical 47-43 scoreline. While both the Men’s double lost their ties it was Rujuta and Pranjala who won their matches to guide their team to the semi-finals.
Results – Finals
Pune Warriors bt Punjab Bulls :46-44 ( Wheelchair: Sadashivam lost to Shekar Veeraswamy 3-7, BD U-14 Arunava Majumdar / Adith Amarnath lost to Aayushman Arjeria / Jasmeet Duhan 4-6; GD U-18: Kaavya Sawhney / Smriti Bhasin lost to Prerna Vichare / Gargi Pawar 3-7;WS: Rutuja Bhosale bt Pranjala Y 18-12; MD; Purav R / Siddharth V bt Jeevan / Manish 18-12
Results- (Semi-Finals)
Pune Warriors bt Gujarat Panthers: 47-43 ( Wheelchair: Sadashivam bt Karthik S 6-4, BD U-14 Arunava Majumdar / Adith Amarnath drew to Agriya Yadav / Nithish Baalaji 5-5; GD U-18: Kaavya Sawhney / Smriti Bhasin drew to Aakanksha Nitture / Bhakti Parwani 5-5; WS: Rutuja Bhosale bt Mahak Jain 18-12; MD; Purav R / Siddharth V lost to Somdev Devvarman / Dhakshineshwar Suresh 13-17
Punjab Bulls bt Finecab Hyderabad Strikers: 47-43 ( Wheelchair: Shekar Veeraswamy bt Mariappan 6-4, BD U-14 Aayushman Arjeria / Jasmeet Duhan drew to Ayush Bhatt / Sharan 5-5; GD U-18: Prerna Vichare / Gargi Pawar bt Vanshika Choudhary / Humera Baharmas 8-2 ; WS: Pranjala Y bt Ria Bhatia 16-14; MD; Jeevan N / Manish Sureshkumar lost to Mohit Mayur / Prajwal Dev 12-18.