And just like that, the Manila leg of the International Premiere Tennis League is done.
As expected, crowd favorites Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Ana Ivanovic dazzled the crowd with ther scintillating performances on the court.
But the six players below? They took us by surprise and stormed their way into our hearts with their unexpected awesomeness.
They are the six players we’d like to come back next year. And while we’re making a wish, we’d like to throw in a Roger Federer in there, too.
1.Treat Huey (Philippine Mavericks) – The hometown hero has become the heartbreak kid. The current face of Philippine tennis was winless all throughout the three-day bonanza in Manila. On Tuesday night, he was again partnered with Serena Williams but they lost 3-6 to the crack Indian doubles tandem of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna. Still, it is exactly his winless streak that we want to see him back next year. With his vaunted “puso”, Huey is sure to bounce back.
2. Nick Kyrgios (OUE Singapore Slammers) – Australia’s “bad boy of tennis” has been nothing short of sterling in the Manila leg of the ITPL. He’s led the Slammers to several wins, including a classic against Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first day. All throughout the three days, Kyrgios repeatedly captured the hearts of many Filipino fans. But then again, we do have a weakness for bad boys, don’t we?
3. Kristina Mladenovic (OBI UAE Royals) – The Frenchwoman emerged as one of the hardest hitting, power smashing ladies in the IPTL. In fact, we dare say she can almost rival Serena Williams in her power play. Mladenovic and her doubles partner Daniel Nestor prevailed over Williams and Huey in Day 1, serving notice that she’s planning to leave her mark on the IPTL — and not just with her Rapunzel-like blond locks.
4. Dustin Brown (OUE Singapore Slammers) – Speaking of locks, Brown is the only one whose hair handily beats Mladenovic’s. With his signature dreadlocks swinging wildly with every powerful forehand, Brown is the perfect contrast between rasta-chill and tennis flair. We’re guessing it’s that reggae beat that’s fueling his smooth strokes.
5. Philipp Kohlschreiber (Legendari Japan Warriors) – Despite being a man of few words, Kohlschreiber’s game is all fire and fury, as he matched Kyrgios stroke for powerful stroke in their Day 1 battle. In Day 2, he solidified his status as a player to watch for, coming from behind time and again to break the Mavericks’ Richard Gasquet’s serve thereby breaking the Maverick fans’ hearts as well. Simply put, he’s the ITPL version of Baranggay Ginebra.
6. Samantha Stosur (Micromax Indian Aces) – For a player who’s copped the 2014 Wimbledon Championships doubles crown, Stosur has managed to fly pretty much under the radar in the IPTL Manila leg. That anonymity ended when she easily overpowered Ivanovic on the 2nd day of competitions and then threatened to make life difficult for Serena Williams in the third day. Needless to say, everyone in the League will be keeping an eye on Stosur in her succeeding matches. We know we will.
Below, a few more highlights from the closing day:
Photos: Jilson Tiu
