Hyderbad Strikers defend TPL title

The Hyderabad strikers team: Sriram Balaji, Niki Poonacha, Conny Perrin and coach Suresh Krishna.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Conny Perrin was at her fluent best as Hyderabad Strikers beat Mumbai Leon Army 41-32 to emerge champion in the fourth edition of the Tennis Premier League at the Balewadi Stadium on Sunday night.

With rain delaying the semifinals, the event culminated close to midnight.

Perrin won her singles 13-7 against Akanksha Nitture, but Ramkumar Ramanathan bridged the gap for Mumbai beating Niki Poonacha 12-8. However, Perrin and Sriram Balaji combined to outwit Akanksha and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 13-7.

That meant Hyderabad needed only seven points in the men’s doubles to seal victory, while Mumbai needed 14 points from the duo of Ramkumar and Jeevan. With Poonacha’s crisp volley closing the contest at 7-6, Hyderabad defended its crown won last year.

Mumbai had done well to scrape through to the semifinals earlier against Bengaluru Spartans, winning the last point, for a 41-39 triumph.

The champions received ₹10 lakh and the runner-up, ₹5 lakh. Perrin was declared Player-of-the-Final, while the honour went to Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan in the semifinals.

Mumbai Leon Army emerged champion in the concurrently held TPL Plus, a platform for juniors.

The results: Final: Hyderabad Strikers bt Mumbai Leon Army 41-32 [Conny Perrin bt Akanksha NItture 13-7; Niki Poonacha lost to Ramkumar Ramanathan 8-12; Conny & Sriram Balaji bt Akanksha & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 13-7; Poonacha & Balaji bt Ramkumar & Jeevan 7-6).

Semifinals: Hyderabad Strikers bt Chennai Stallions 48-32 [Conny Perrin tied with Ekaterina Kazionova 10-10; Poonacha bt Mathias Bourgue 13-7; Conny & Balaji bt Kazionova & Anirudh Chandrashekhar 13-7; Poonacha & Balaji bt Bourgue & Anirudh 12-8).

Mumbai Leon Army bt Bengaluru Spartans 41-39 (Akanksha lost to Karman Thandi 7-13; Ramkumar bt Sidharth Rawat 11-9; Akanksha & Jeevan bt Vishnu Vardhan & Karman 12-8; Ramkumar & Jeevan bt Vishnu & Sidharth 11-9).