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NEW DELHI — Gurgaon Sapphires became the first team in the history of the Pro Tennis League (PTL) to win back-to-back titles when they beat Ichiban Samurai 81-56 in the final played under the lights at the RK Khanna Stadium.
Sapphires had entered the final after a thumping 81-64 win over Sankara Stag Babolat Yoddhas while Ichiban Samurai narrowly edged Paramount Proec Tigers 81-75.
Samurai suffered their first defeat of the season which came in the title clash.
Sapphires maintained their powerful run into the final as well despite losing the first match of the tie. Sahaja Yamalapalli gave the Ichiban Samurai a winning start (14-6) over former National champion Sharmada Balu.
Next Gen men’s player Rushil Khosla kept that momentum with a 11-9 win over Maan Keshwarwani.
First, Next Gen women’s singles player Ruma Gaikaiwari trounced Gauri Mangaonkar 15-5 to bring the match to even footing at 30-30. Then the pairing of Balu and Suresh Krishna had the better of Yamalapalli and Dilip Mohanty (12-8) in the women’s pro and Masters mixed doubles match.
In the men’s singles match that followed, Rithvik Choudhary gave his team a further six point margin to enjoy with a 18-12 win. This 10-point margin grew bigger with Balu and Gaikaiwari resoundingly beating Yamalapalli and Mangaonkar 15-5.
With Sapphires leading by a staggering 20 points, they knew even a slight advantage in the seventh match would be enough. An ace out wide from the team of Rithvik Choudhary and Maan Kesharwani put the tie well past the pairing of Nitin Kumar Sinha and Rushil Khosla and saw the Sapphires erupt in celebration for a second year in a row.
Notably, Ruma Gaikaiwari of Gurgaon Sapphires was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the NextGen Women’s Pro category, while Ichiban Samurai’s Rushil Khosla was named ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the NextGen Men’s Pro category.
Also, Sahaja Yamalapalli of Ichiban Samurai won the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the Women’s Pro category, and Gurgaon Sapphires’ Rithvik Choudhary clinched the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the Men’s Pro category.
Moreover, Suresh Krishna of Gurgaon Sapphires was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ in the Masters Pro category.
League’s co-owner Aditya Khanna, who also represented Lucknow Aviators, was pleased with how the show went. "We are pleased with how the fifth season of Pro Tennis League went and how it has grown. We had some great tennis but more than that, we were pleased to see families coming in, enjoying the sport and enjoying the festive atmosphere around. We had worked hard on this season and are pleased to see it have the desired impact."