Singapore Slammers will want to bounce back from defeat on the opening day against the UAE Royals when they play Philippine Mavericks on Day 2 of IPTL action in Kobe.
The Slammers were beaten 26-20 by the UAE Royals on Wednesday, and the team from Singapore, who saw Novak Djokovic withdraw from the team, will want to put up a better show. Djokovic's loss, though, is Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka's gain, and while the two players are not expected to serve it up in the Kobe leg, the Slammers will be buoyed by their inclusions.
In the absence of the big names, the flag will have to be flown by the controversial-but-always-entertaining Nick Kyrgios, who impressed in the singles match against the UAE Royals, beating Tomas Berdych 6-2.
"I love the IPTL, it's a great format, its shows what tennis can be," Kyrgios said. "I personally love playing in a team environment, I used to play basketball as a kid, so I love have teammates around.
"I've been thinking of the IPTL all year round, and it's the only time when I have so much fun on the tennis courts. We are a completely new team this time, with me being the only Slammer from last year, so in a way I can help the other players in my team.
"It's sad we didn't [beat the UAE Royals], but there's still lot more tennis to look forward to in the coming weeks."
The premier name in the Philippine Mavericks lineup is Serena Williams. It remains to be seen if the American features on Thursday, but the Mavericks have a good setup with Richard Gasquet and Milos Raonic leading the way.
Teams: Philippine Mavericks: Jarmila Gajdosova, Serena Williams, Milos Raonic, Eduard Roger-Vasselin, Richard Gasquet, Treat Huey, Mark Philippoussis.
Singapore Slammers: Karolina Pliskova, Belinda Bencic, Dustin Brown, Marcelo Melo, Nick Kyrgios, Stanislas Wawrinka, Andy Murray, Carlos Moya.
Where to Watch Live
Day 2 of the IPTL will start with the match between the Philippine Mavericks and Singapore Slammers, which is scheduled to start at 4 pm local time (12.30 pm IST, 7 am GMT, 2 am ET). Live coverage of the match in India will be son Star Sports 4, while all the action can also be watched via live streaming online on Starsports.com and Hotstar.
Audience in the UK can catch the IPTL live on Sky Sports, with the live stream option on Sky Go. Viewers in the US will be able to watch the IPTL live on the Tennis Channel, while the action can also be live streamed on Tennis Channel online.
Sports5 will broadcast Philippine Mavericks vs Singapore Slammers live in the Philippines, while viewers in Singapore can watch the action on the SingTel network. Audience from SouthEast Asia can watch the action live on Fox Sports Asia.
