ABU DHABI: World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka’s SG Mavericks Kites maintained their 100 percent record as men’s world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev starred for PBG Eagles on day two of the Meteora World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi.
After triumphing on the opening day, Kites picked up where they left off as they edged Honor FX Falcons 33-30 in an enthralling encounter, despite losing three close sets. In the other match, PBG Eagles won 31-28 against TSL Hawks.
Proceedings got underway with Rybakina and Sorana Cirstea edging out Sabalenka and Paula Badosa 7-6 in a closely-fought opening set to give Falcons the win.
Falcons triumphed again with the same scoreline in the following set as world No. 10 Taylor Fritz and India’s Sumit Nagal held their nerve to beat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris, who replaced Stefano Tsitsipas for the day, and his teammate Grigor Dimitrov in the men’s doubles. Falcons’ winning streak continued as Fritz and Cirstea combined to win 7-5 against Harris and Badosa in the mixed doubles.
The tie of the match belonged to Sabalenka and world No. 4 Elena Rybakina, who played a thrilling encounter in the women’s singles. Falcons’ Rybakina raced to a 5-2 lead but Kites’ Sabalenka fought back to force a tie-break and then win 7-6. With the scores level at 30 points each, Sabalenka delivered when it mattered, winning the Super Shootout tie with three extra points for Kites.
The format consists of five sets per tie — three doubles and two single encounters, with the team accumulating the most points winning the match.
Speaking after Kites’ victory, Sabalenka said: “It was a team effort and I was super pleased with their positivity from the bench. It’s because of them and their that I was able to fight more for every point. They’re all fun players and it’s a format that I really enjoying playing in.”
Women’s world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka helps SG Mavericks Kites defeat Honor FX Falcons 33-30. (Supplied)
In the match between PBG Eagles and TSL Hawks, world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and men’s world No. 9 Hubert Hurkacz got Hawks off to a perfect start, winning 6-2 against world No. 5 Andrey Rublev and 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
Eagles bounced back in the next set as Sofia Kenin and Andreeva registered a 6-4 win over Caroline Garcia and Swiatek.
Medvedev made his first appearance of day two, partnering with world No. 5 Andrey Rublev in the men’s doubles for Eagles, who were made to work for their 7-6 victory against world No. 11 Casper Ruud and Hurkacz.
Speaking after the match, Medvedev said: “At the start of the match I was feeling very shaky and I knew I had to play better and gradually I improved. Playing doubles is one that I’m not used to but happy to have helped Andrey, who is an amazing doubles player, to help win the game.”
Eagles were again triumphant with Sofia Kenin beating Garcia 7-5 in the women’s singles while Hurkacz beat Medvedev 7-6 in the men’s singles. With the scores level, a Super Shootout had to settle the match, with the Russian coming out on top to earn Eagles the win.
The second edition of the Meteora World Tennis League is taking place for the first time in Abu Dhabi following the WTL’s collaboration with Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi and Miral. The event has attracted some of the world’s top tennis stars alongside some of music’s biggest names for the incredible spectacle at Etihad Arena this year.
Saturday’s schedule will feature PBG Eagles’ clash against Honor FX Falcons at 3 p.m. while SG Mavericks Kites will take on TSL Hawks at 6 p.m.
Tickets can be bought via the Etihad Arena website as well as Platinum List and Virgin Megastores. Fans can find more details on etihadarena.ae.
