Bengaluru, Dec 19 (IANS) Home favourites Sumit Nagal, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Maaya Rajeswaran Revathi stole the show on the third day of the World Tennis League at the SM Krishna Stadium, Bengaluru.

The AOS Eagles defeated VB Realty Hawks 22-12 in the first match of the day to extend their lead at the top. They finished the league stage of WTL with 65 points from three matches and have one foot into Saturday’s final.

It was tennis’ power couple, Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina, who opened the show on Friday. However, this time, Monfils and Svitolina stood at the opposite sides of the court in the mixed doubles contest. In an entertaining contest, Svitolina and Yuki Bhambri, playing for the Hawks, edged Monfils-Shrivalli 6-4.

But India’s leading singles player, Nagal, grounded the Hawks with a dominant performance in the men’s singles. The 28-year-old came out swinging against former Wimbledon finalist Denis Shapovalov, winning 6-1 to hand his team the momentum.

While Shrivalli cheered her team on from the dug-out on the first two days, she stepped into the spotlight effortlessly. After a competent performance in the mixed doubles, the 24-year-old locked horns against teen sensation Maaya, who trains at the Rafael Nadal Academy. Shrivalli quickly found her range, and wowed the Bengaluru crowd with her clean hitting as she beat the 16-year-old 6-2.

Shrivalli then teamed up with Paula Badosa to beat the Svitolina-Maaya combine 6-3. It was Svitolina’s first defeat of WTL 2025.

After the match, Badosa was all praise for her young partner.

“India you have a future star here,” Badosa, a semi-finalist at this year’s Australian Open, told the crowd. “She carried the team today. Since the first day I hit with her, I have been impressed with her serve and aggressive game.”

The WTL is a one-of-its kind mixed-team tennis tournament, where top players get to compete at a high level but without the pressure of a tour event. This year, four franchises competed for the trophy. After a round-robin stage, where each team faced the other in a quick four-set format, the top two advanced to the final.

Results:

AOS Eagles 22-12 VB Realty Hawks

• Yuki Bhambri-Elina Svitolina (Hawks) bt Gael Monfils-Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (Eagles) 6-4

• Sumit Nagal (Eagles) bt Denis Shapovalov (Hawks) 6-1

• Shrivalli Bhamidipaty (Eagles) bt Maaya Rajeswaran Revathi (Hawks) 6-2

• Shrivalli Bhamidipaty-Paula Badosa bt Maaya Rajeswaran Revathi-Elina Svitolina 6-3

–IANS

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