Elina Svitolina (left) and Yuki Bhambri of Hawks during their mixed doubles match against Eagles' Gael Monfils and Maya Rajeswaran in the World Tennis League.
DH Photo
Bengaluru: On one side was Elina Svitolina whose poise, elegance and friendly smile have stolen the fans' hearts here this week.
On the opposite side was Gael Monfils whose showmanship and athleticism, even at the ripe age 39 for a tennis pro, have captivated the crowd's attention.
On Friday, the third day of the World Tennis League at the SM Krishna Tennis Stadium, the husband-wife duo -- Monfils and Svitolina -- were engaged in a duel for their respective teams - Eagles and Hawks.
Though the Ukrainian, paired with home boy Yuki Bhambri, defeated the Frenchman and his on-court partner Shrivalli Bhamidipaty in the opening mixed doubles tie, by the end of the four-set round robin contest, Monfils' Eagles scored a 22-12 win to enter the final on Saturday.
"A happy wife is a happy life," conceded Monfils after ending on the losing side of the match-up against Svitolina that left everyone in splits.
That happiness for Svitolina's Hawks, however, was short-lived as Eagles' Shrivalli, India's no. 2 female singles player, stole the limelight in her first on-court appearance in three days.
After making a mental note of all the pro tips team lead Monfils has been feeding throughout the week, the 24-year-old Shrivalli put together in her best overall game to outwit her younger opponent and compatriot Maaya Rajeswaran Revathi 6-2. Later in the women's doubles, the Hyderabad girl joined forces with Spain's Paula Badosa to secure a dominating 6-3 victory over Maaya and Svitolina.
As a calm Shrivalli enjoyed her moment under the sun, her team-mate Sumit Nagal barely broke a sweat in his 6-1 win over Denis Shapovalov who struggled to move on the court due to a sore neck. Eagles' Monfils volunteered to help the Canadian, the face of Hawks, in one of his service games as the duo played a fun two versus one game against Sumit - the only game that Shapovalov managed to pull off thanks to some assistance from the ever-considerate Monfils.
Kites fly into final
Lying at the bottom of the table following two defeats on the opening two days, Aussie Mavericks Kites needed to win 20 games out of four sets to have a chance at making it to the final.
The Nick Kyrgios-led Kites rose to the occasion and turned the tables to post a 24-19 win over Daniil Medvedev's Falcons to march into the title round.
After Marta Kostyuk got Kites to a winning start by overcoming Magda Linette 6-4, the Ukrainian teamed up with the man of the evening Dhakshineswar Suresh aka 'DK' to clinch the mixed doubles tie (6-4) against Rohan Bopanna and Sahaja Yamalapalli.
Though Kyrgios and Suresh lost a close men's doubles encounter over Medvedev and Bopanna (6-7) which was the most entertaining tie of the day, the 6 feet 5 inch Suresh stood tall under lights to stun Medvedev 6-4 and help his team progress to the Saturday 6 pm showdown against the Eagles.
Results: AOS Eagles bt VB Realty Hawks 22-12 (Gael Monfils/ Shrivalli Bhamidipaty lt to Yuki Bhambri/ Elina Svitolina 4-6; Sumit Nagal bt Denis Shapovalov 6-1; Shrivalli bt Maaya Rajeswaran Revathi 6-2; Shrivalli/ Paula Badosa bt Maaya/ Svitolina 6-3).
Aussie Mavericks Kites bt Game Changers Falcons 24-19 (Marta Kostyuk bt Magda Linette 6-4; Dhakshineswar Suresh/ Kostyuk bt Rohan Bopanna/ Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-4; Nick Kyrgios/ Suresh lt to Daniil Medvedev/ Bopanna 6-7; Suresh bt Medvedev 6-4).