After three straight wins, and convincing ones at that, the Indian Aces will look to keep their perfect record in the International Premier Tennis League when they take on the UAE Royals for the second time in two days.
The Aces thumped the Royals 28-20 in their encounter in Manila on Sunday, showing that they are the team to beat in this debut edition of the IPTL.
The franchise from India have done pretty well so far even without their marquee player Roger Federer, and the team will only get stronger one the Swiss legend makes his way into the team.
The UAE Royals came into the final match in Manila against the Aces with an unbeaten record as well, having beaten the Singapore Slammers and the Manila Mavericks, but they could not keep that upward momentum against the marauding Indian Aces.
So, come Tuesday in Singapore, the UAE Royals will have a bit of revenge on their minds when they take to court against the Indian Aces.
The Indian duo of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna have done pretty well so far, showing their strength in the doubles game, and their win over Kristina Mladenovic and the seasoned Nenad Zimonjic was crucial to helping the Aces to victory on Sunday.
Also, key has been Gael Monfils, who has been his usual entertaining self, and the Frenchman will look to continue the momentum come Tuesday, while Ana Ivanovic, apart from the final match, has sparkled as well.
The second match of the evening will see the home team Singapore Slammers go up against the Manila Mavericks. Both teams will want to start off the Singapore leg of the IPTL with a win, after disappointing showings in the first leg.
The Singapore Slammers, in particular, will be keen to win in front of their home crowd and also give themselves that thrust needed to go on a winning run, after three straight losses. The presence of Serena Williams, who will play all three days for the Slammers, and legend Andre Agassi will certainly help in that regard.
"We've learnt a lot from the last three days [where]we lost a few really close points that were pivotal and really tuned the match, so we are hoping that luck is on our side [at home]," Singapore Slammers coach Joshua Eagle said.
"Serena Williams, we are hoping that she's going to be our key player this week... the DBS Slammers will be ready to play this week so hopefully the other teams are ready for us.
"We are really going to try and pull out all the stops to get off to a good start."
The three-day swing of the IPTL will be shorn of some of the glamour, however, with Federer (Indian Aces), Novak Djokovic (UAE Royals), Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray (both Manila Mavericks) all set to miss the action.
Where to Watch Live
Day 1 action of the Singapore leg of the IPTL begins with the match between the Indian Aces and the UAE Royals at 4 pm local time (1.30 pm IST, 8 am GMT). The second match -- Singapore Slammers vs Manila Mavericks -- is scheduled for a 7.30 pm local time (5 pm IST, 12.30 pm GMT) start.
Viewers in India can watch the two matches on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports HD1. Audience in India can also catch the IPTL via live streaming online on Starsports.com. Watch the two matches in the UK on Sky Sports 3. Viewers can also live stream the IPTL encounters on Sky Go or Watch Sky Sports.
