A loss in the opening match of the penultimate day for the Chennai Smashers meant that the SG Pipers Bengaluru had an opportunity to pounce upon to make it to the final four in the seventh season of the Tennis Premier League (TPL).
Despite the loss to the Rajasthan Rangers, the Smashers’ doubles specialist Rithvik Bollipalli found a lot of positives for his side based on their performance this season.
“The most important thing was to get to know my teammates. I was glad that Irina and Dali were my teammates; really good people and enjoyed playing with them. We were on the same page in terms of putting in the effort and combining as a team. We also didn’t want to mess with each one’s technical aspect and our coach also did a wonderful job of keeping it simple, because you don’t want to change anything based on the format especially after playing the entire season” – Rithvik Bollipalli, Chennai Smashers
The second tie was a dead rubber, as the GS Delhi Aces defeated home team Gujarat Panthers 62-38, the biggest victory margin of this season of TPL. Before their match Anirudh shed some light on the format of TPL and it’s psychological demands.
“It’s a very tricky format. There is pressure on you right from the start. Whoever gets the early lead is usually in the driver’s seat and can play with less pressure. This like an extended version of the super tiebreak. So the experience of playing this format does help in other tournaments.” – Anirudh Chandrasekhar, Gujarat Panthers
Following their gigantic win, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan was all praises for his on-court partnership with Billy Harris.
“This is my first time playing with Billy. We have seen each other a lot on Challenger circuit. The on-court chemistry is also very good. We are getting grooved together as the matches progressed this week. I think we really deserved the win today.” – Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, GS Delhi Aces.
Though Sahaja Yamlapallil gave the Gurgaon Grand Slammers a winning start in their tie against Yash Mumbai Eagles, the lead was soon yielded as Niki Poonacha, Riya Bhatia, and Damir Dzumhur won the last three ties to cement their semis berth.
“It’s a great format because you are in the mindset that every point matters. In individual tournaments you think of winning every game, every set. Here they will bring you back to one point at a time. Two years back when I played TPL, I got into that mindset and right after I won the event in Solapur.” – Sahaja Yamlapallil, Gurgaon Grand Slammers.
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Following their win, Yash Mumbai Eagles’ Niki Poonacha and Riya Bhatia expressed their views on the format of the event.
“As a woman’s player, we don’t play mixed doubles too often. And I enjoy this format a lot. Because I got a chance to play against Rohan Bopanna which I think wouldn’t have been possible without the TPL.” – Riya Bhatia, Yash Mumbai Eagles“The format definitely helps us (doubles specialists) because the third set is a match tiebreak. We cannot replicate this pressure in practice. So to have this kind of setup, it definitely helps us on how we can manage these situations. It’s very good for us, but not for singles players (chuckles).” – Niki Poonacha, Yash Mumbai Eagles
In the final tie of the day, it was a clean sweep for the SG Pipers Bengaluru against the Hyderabad Strikers as they jumped in the leaderboard from the fifth position to the second. Veteran player Vishnu Vardhan, who had been a part of the title winning side since the last two years expressed his sentiments after their final match of the season.
“As defending champions, not making it to the final four and not living upto the expectations was a heartbreaker. But through the week I did feel my game was improving. Especially playing with the Spanish players was a challenge as I had to adapt my game accordingly. To partner them in such a format is really a great experience.” – Vishnu Vardhan, Hyderabad Strikers
The Conclusion of TPL Season 7
The semifinals and the final will be held on 14th December 2025. The GS Delhi Aces will take on Rajasthan Rangers in the first semifinal whereas the SG Pipers Bengaluru will face Yash Mumbai Eagles in the second.
