The SG Pipers Bengaluru just did enough yesterday to eliminate Chennai Smashers from contention for the semis of the seventh season of the Tennis Premier League (TPL).
The GS Delhi Aces and the Rajasthan Rangers, who finished first and fourth respectively in the league, will contest the first semi-final. The second semi-final will see SG Pipers take on Yash Mumbai Eagles.
Quick Recap: The TPL 25-points Format
A tie between two teams will feature four matches contested in this order: women’s singles, mixed doubles, men’s singles, and men’s doubles. Each game will have a total of 25 points. Thus, a total of 100 points will be played in a tie. The team that manages the most points after the four matches is the winner. In each game, after 13 points, players change ends.
A no-let rule is followed, wherein a player’s serve after hitting the net cord is considered within bounds if it lands in the service box. Should a match reach 12-12, the next point is the decider and is called a golden point.
At the end of the league stage, all teams had played 500 points. Of these, Delhi topped the charts with 273 points, followed by SG Pipers (264), Yash Mumbai Eagles (260), and Rajasthan Rangers (257). Chennai Smashers missed out on the qualification with 252 points to their name; thereby emphasising the ‘Every Point Counts’ motto of the tournament.
Semi-Final 1: GS Delhi Aces vs Rajasthan Rangers
The GS Delhi Aces finished strongly at the summit of the rankings after the league phase. Billy Harris’s big-serving game has helped Delhi earn critical points in both singles and doubles matches. Sofia Costoulas has arguably been the most consistent women’s singles player of the season thus far. As a doubles specialist, Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan has had a mixed bag of results.
“Its very different on the court. We have to learn to let go of a bad point very quickly, and we have to learn not celebrate a good point a lot because the momentum changes a lot.” – Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, GS Delhi Aces
Against Jeevan will be Dhakineswar Suresh, who has stepped up every single time with his doubles prowess when the team needed him the most.
Ekaterina Kazionova has contested some close women’s singles matches in the TPL this year with only a point or two to separate her from the opponent. However, there is an injury concern about the Russian, who had taped her leg after her women’s singles match against Irina Bara. She will face Sofia Costoulas for the first time in her career.
Italy’s Luciano Darderi, currently positioned amongst the World’s Top 30, further bolsters the Rangers, as Billy Harris will have to work harder than usual to pocket the men’s singles match.
Prediction: Rajasthan Rangers to win 3-1.
Semi-Final 2: SG Pipers vs Yash Mumbai Eagles
When these two teams met in the league phase, Mumbai pipped them narrowly, winning 51-49. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty would be looking to avenge her singles defeat against Riya Bhatia. While Shrivalli has won two of her five singles matches, Riya has a 1-4 record in this season of the TPL.
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The mixed doubles match is likely to go down to the wire with Srivalli and Bopanna taking on Riya and Niki Poonacha. Bopanna’s experience could heavily tilt the game’s momentum in favor of the SG Pipers.
Damir Dzumhur, who had won in straight sets against Ramkumar Ramanathan in Shenzhen in 2018, could not replicate the same in the seventh season of the TPL. Ram won their singles encounter 15-10.
“I needed one or two matches to get used to the format. But the last two days have been very good for me, and for the team.” – Damir Dzumhur, Yash Mumbai Eagles
While Dzumhur would be plotting his tactics, the final men’s doubles match is likely to be the decider yet again – Bopanna/Ramanathan vs Niki/Dzumhur. In the league stage, Bopanna/Ramanathan won 13-12, making it an interesting doubles fixture to look forward to in the knockout phase.
Prediction: SG Pipers to win 3-1.
The SG Pipers Bengaluru are the only team in the semis that have previously won the TPL title (in 2023). The first semi-final will begin at 4:30 p.m. IST. The finals are expected to begin at 08:00 p.m. IST.
All matches will be streamed live on JioCinema and Sony Sports Network.
