Eagles lead Falcons in World Tennis League in Dubai

DUBAI: The Eagles team won several key matches on day three of the World Tennis League here to take the top spot from the Falcons.

The mixed doubles featured Grigor Dimitrov and Aryna Sabalenka for the Falcons against Bianca Andreescu and Rohan Bopanna for the Eagles, with the Eagles taking the opening set comfortably as Bopanna especially showed some great touches. The second set was highlighted by a spectacular rally which ended with Andreescu striking a crosscourt backhand winner to keep the Eagles on serve for a 3-2 lead.

The Falcons though broke to lead 4-3 when Andreescu lost her serve two games later. Sabalenka made it 5-3 but, after Bopanna held, Dimitrov failed to serve out the set and it went to 5-5. The set then moved on to a tiebreak, which the Falcons took 7-4 to finally level the match. The super tiebreak was just as closely contested, with the Falcons edging it 10-7.

In the women’s singles, Caroline Garcia took the fiercely-contested first set for the Eagles against Paula Badosa of the Falcons. The opening two games went against serve before, with Garcia leading 5-4, Badosa double-faulted to drop her serve for a second time and hand the Eagles the set. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Garcia this time broken in the third game before once more immediately breaking back to level at 2-2. Garcia soon went on to take the upper hand as she broke Badosa at love to lead 4-2, but she still needed to fight off a break point as she served for victory and to level the tie.

“It was a great atmosphere out there and I really played a good match,” said Garcia. “I’m playing with this team format for the first time and I really enjoy it. It’s really good fun, a different experience.”

Dimitrov returned