In the UAE Royals’ first match of the IPTL UAE leg in Dubai, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Manila Mavericks) beat Novak in a shoot-out 6 games to 5.
Novak grabbed a 2-0 lead breaking the Frenchman in the first game of the men’s singles set, but Tsonga broke back to level. Nole failed to convert a break point in the ninth game. The closely contested set finished 5-5 and Tsonga prevailed in a 5-minute extra time
However, the Royals beat Mavericks 26-25 after Nenad Zimonjic and Marin Cilic brought the victory to the team in the last set of the clash defeating Daniel Nestor and Tsonga 6-5.
Caroline Wozniacki previously ousted Kirsten Flipkens 6-2, while Goran Ivanisevic lost to Mark Philippoussis 5-6. Zimonjic paired with Kristina Mladenovic in the mixed doubles. They fell to Nestor and Flipkens 4-6.
Novak will take on Tomas Berdych (Singapore Slammers) on Friday, December 12.
The International Premier Tennis League brings together current champions, tennis legends and upcoming talents. The four teams will play 24 matches in total, in a round robin format, to determine the inaugural IPTL Champion. Each match comprises five sets: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and men’s legends.
