Bangalore Raptors host Pune Marathas in the first tie of Day 3 in the inaugural edition of the Champions Tennis League at the KSLTA on Thursday.
Bangalore kicked off the competition with a defeat, albeit a close one, losing 27-25 to Hyderabad Aces on Monday, despite Feliciano Lopez producing good performances in the men's singles and the mixed doubles categories.
Raptors' Venus Williams lost to Martina Hingis 6-3 in the women's singles, while Thomas Enqvist was defeated by Mark Philippoussis 6-5 (5-2) in the legends category. Lopez and Ramkumar Ramanathan also followed suit, losing 6-3 to Mikhail Youzhny and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan in the men's doubles.
Lopez and Venus combined to beat Youzhny and Hingis 6-5 (5-1) in the mixed doubles, while Lopez later beat Youzhny 8-4 in the men's singles to give Bangalore a respectable score of 25.
Meanwhile, Pune got the better of Hyderabad in their first match on Tuesday, winning a nail-bitter 26-25, thanks to impressive shows from seasoned professionals Agnieszka Radwanska and Marcos Baghdatis.
World no.6 Radwanska beat Hingis 6-3, but Hyderbad returned the favour as Mark Philippoussis beat Pune's Pat Cash by the same margin in the legends category. Hingis then had her revenge on Radwanska as she teamed up with Youzhny to defeat the Pole and Baghdatis 6-5 (5-3) in the mixed doubles.
But Baghdatis then partnered Saketh Myneni to see of the challenge from Youzhny and Nedunchezhiyan 6-5 (5-3) in the men's doubles, leaving the scores tied at 19-19. Baghdatis took on Youzhny in the deciding men's singles match and, with the scores tied at 5-5, the Cypriot clinched the crucial tiebreak (5-2), giving the Marathas a 26-25 win over the Aces.
Pune will be looking to post yet another win, while Bangalore will be keen to pick up a win on their home turf. Baghdatis is the key man for the visitors, while Venus has to step up for the hosts, especially in her singles match against Radwanska.
Where to Watch Live
Bangalore vs Pune will start at 5pm IST (6.30am EST, 11.30am GMT) with Sony Six and Sony Six HD providing live coverage in India. You can also catch the action live online on LivSports. US viewers can watch the tie live on Tennis Channel on TV or online on the website.
Bangalore vs Pune matches
1) Legends - Thomas Enqvist, vs Pat Cash
2) Mixed Doubles - Feliciano Lopez/Venus Williams vs Agnieszka Radwanska/Marcos Baghdatis
3) Women's Singles - Venus Williams vs Agnieszka Radwanska
4) Men's Doubles - Feliciano Lopez/Ramkumar Ramanathan vs Saketh Myneni/Marcos Baghdatis
5) Men's Singles - Feliciano Lopez vs Marcos Baghdatis
In each match, the first player to reach six games is declared the winner (even without a two-point advantage), while a nine-point tie-breaker will come into play if the score is 5-5. The team that wins the most games - not the sets - wins the tie.
