Singapore:  A crowd of over 8,000 spectators arrived at the Singapore Indoor Stadium by the time Match 2 got underway on the opening day of the Singapore leg of inaugural Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League presented by Qatar Airways.

Andre Agassi was given a rapturous welcome by the home crowd who drowned out the match announcer. But despite showing some improvement from Manila, Match 2 saw the home team – the DBS Singapore Slammers – slump to their fourth straight loss against a resilient Manila Mavericks team.

Brimming with confidence from their victory over the DBS Singapore Slammers in Manila two nights ago, once again the Mavericks proved too strong for the Slammers, winning 4 out of 5 sets, giving them 11 points from 4 matches to go joint second with the Musafir.com UAE Royals. 

The DBS Singapore Slammers picked up 2 bonus points for their total haul of 21 games to the Manila Mavericks’ 29.

·   Match started with Past Champion’s Singles which saw a highly spirited performance from former World No. 1 Andre Agassi before going down 3-6 to Mark ‘The Scud’ Phillippoussis

·   In the Men’s Doubles, Huey and Tsonga overcame Hewitt and Berdych in a nail biting encounter which saw multiple errors from the DBS Singapore Slammers, eventually losing the set 6-4

·   World No. 12 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came from a break down to win a 5-all shoot-out against Tomas Berdych putting the Mavericks ahead, 18 –12

·   Serena then took to the court in the fourth set playing Mixed Doubles with Nick Kyrgios, she was however unable to inspire the team going down 3-6 to an in-form Nestor and Flipkens 

·   The consolation for the DBS Singapore Slammers was William’s fifth set victory over Flipkens, repeating her Sunday night triumph in Manila to earn the DBS Singapore Slammers their second double-point haul

What the Players said:

Andre Agassi

“I feel like anything’s possible in this format, but the set goes by quick and playing Mark there isn’t a lot of time to relax and settle down, if you don’t play too often, I never got comfortable, started to settle down a little more as it when on but it was a little too late, but I did hope to win."

“There’s a lot of upsides in doing this for me, watching the sport go places where I believe there should be tennis, enthusiastic fans, bringing it to them in a format that I believe is motivational to the next generation, to these communities and cities. It’s a win for them, it’s great for the players, acting like ateam out there, you want it bad but you’re also relaxed trying to keep your team relaxed. It’s a fun environment for us, you get to see so many match-ups, the games played in different ways, it’s also good for the future of the sport.”

“I think this will grow, because next year they’ll know what to expect and their enthusiasm will grow and their knowledge will translate into enthusiasm.”

“Can you ever say that the pillars of the sport will morph into this, that’s a stretch, we’re a sport of great tradition, nor do I think it necessarily should,  but this needs to be a supplement to it in my opinion, I think it’s a great release for the players and a great opportunity for the players to communicate their personality a little bit more. It’s great for fans and places who don’t get to see it up close. I think there are too many wins not to find a place in the year for those who choose to do it. I don’t think this is about a longer season for tennis, because you don’t have to do it, but the players are realising it’s a heck of a lot of fun. Feedback I got from the players [earlier] today is that it’s a lot of fun and they love doing it, they were really enthusiastic about it and I understand why.”

Serena Williams

“I came into this thinking it was going to be like fun and a blast, and I’m having a fun time,  having a blast. I didn’t think it was going to be a good preparation like it is but it turns out to be an amazing preparation, it’s really perfect. After I played in Manila, I was like this is a great way to prepare for the season. I think it’s going to grow naturally because a lot of players are supporting it and a lot of players are involved in it. I think it’s definitely going to grow.”

“We’re all not very happy and we really are trying and that’s all we can do, Tomas played a great match, me and Nick tried really hard in the doubles. We are trying and giving it out all, honestly I think we need to relax abit, take it abit easier and have more fun, we’re like pumping our fist, you know we’re like the most intense team.” 

“I would definitely see myself playing this every year, it’s a great event to be involved in, it’s fun and like a said it's a great opportunity to get ready for the pre-season. So I think a lot of players enjoy that, I know I do."

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

 “It’s great to be together. We don’t have the opportunity to spend time together on the tour because we alternate and now we have to play for the team – for the Mavericks – and it’s a really good atmosphere and I hope we can continue like this. Anyway it’s a success and I’m really happy to be part of it.”

Match Scores: