Punjab Marshalls became the first team to cement it’s place in the finals of the Champions Tennis League 2015 on Wednesday. They defeated Raipur Rangers 20-18 in a thrilling encounter to finish on top in Group A.
Elina Svitolina wins the women set 5-3
Coming into the match, Punjab had a 4-point lead and a 5-game cushion to bank on, as it faced Raipur Rangers on their home ground at the Balbir Juneja Stadium in Raipur. With this victory, they have maintained their winning spree throughout the League and have finished with 8 points in this Group.
In what was touted as a virtual semi-final, Punjab Marshalls got off to a good start, with captain Greg Rusedski and Elina Svitolina winning their sets with a good margin. However, a setback in the mixed doubles and a hard-earned victory in men’s doubles put Marshalls on the backfoot. Rangers sensed a chance of winning the tie coming into the men’s doubles, but Marcos Baghdatis played spoilsport by pitching in when it mattered the most.
Down 3-5 in men’s singles, Marcos needed to win a game in overtime, as Punjab was leading 19-18. Rules of the tournament require the leading team to win the last game so that they can be declared winners. Marcos won the overtime game to hand Marshalls the victory with a 20-18 scoreline.
After the mixed doubles set, Punjab Marshalls held on to a slender 11-10 lead, as the deadly duo of Raipur Rangers Roberto Bautista Agut and Alize Cornet got the better of Punjab Marshalls’ Marcos Baghdatis and Elina Svitolina 5-1.
In the women’s singles earlier, though Elina Svitolina looked on course for an easy win against Alize Cornet of Raipur Rangers, the Ukrainian representing Punjab had to dig deep as Cornet fought back determined not to give in. Svitolina, who reached the semi-final of the WTA Elite Trophy in China last month, made some unforced errors and Cornet used the opportunity to crawl back into the set. But Eliza, being encouraged from the bench by other Marshalls, clinched the set 5-3!
Punjab Marshalls’ captain Greg Rusedski scored another emphatic victory over former World No.1 Thomas Muster of Raipur Rangers. Rusedski broke the Rangers skipper twice to win 5-2 in the legends set. This gave a positive start to Punjab’s campaign.
Punjab’s performance can be attributed to excellent team work and experienced players who have been a part of the Champions Tennis League last year too. Marcos Baghdatis, who was declared the “Most Valuable Player” last year, has been the backbone of the team’s performance so far. Elina, Saketh and Greg have all played their part very well too!
Results:
Punjab Marshalls v Raipur Rangers (Greg Rusedski bt Thomas Muster 5-2; Elina Svitolina bt Alize Cornet 5-3; Marcos Baghdatis/Svitolina lost to Roberto Bautista Agut/Cornet 1-5; Baghdatis/Saketh Myneni bt Agut/Ramkumar Ramanathan 5-3; Baghdatis lost to Agut 4-5 but wins the match in overtime)