Legends Tennis League: Aviraj Warriors scrapes past Bangalore Challengers to clinch title

It was Bangalore Challengers that led by 11 points after 13 matches in the tie, and needed to win only five points in the last rubber, which had double points.

Photo of Aviraj Warriors that emerged champion in the Legends Tennis League in Delhi on Monday. | Photo Credit: Kamesh Srinivasan

Ajit Sail and Pradeep Pant handled the climax with composure, despite spells of nervous play, in helping Aviraj Warriors to a thrilling 130-125 victory over Bangalore Challengers in the final of the Legends Tennis League at the DLTA Complex on Monday.

It was Bangalore Challengers that led by 11 points after 13 matches in the tie, and needed to win only five points in the last rubber, which had double points.

In the event, the experienced pair of Saurabh Singh and Arjun Verma messed it up and got beaten 11-4, as Ajit and Pradeep came up with brilliant strokes for a memorable climax.

The Warriors had got off to a spectacular start through former national champion Siddharth Vishwakarma, and Pradeep himself had played well to strengthen the foundation, first in singles and then in combination with Pradeep. Saurabh Singh and Kamlesh Shukla could not settle into their groove in the first three matches for Bangalore.

Thereafter, Ramzan, Arjun Verma and Aditya Khanna turned the tide in favour of the Bangalore team. Akhil Mathur and Shailender restored the supremacy for Warriors. It was here that Anshul Bagai, Sanjeev Manchanda and Aditya Khanna combined to turn the flow strongly in favour of the Bangalore team, together with commendable support from the woman player, Radhika Kohli. The seasoned campaigners Chandra Bhushan and Ajeet Bhardwaj were unable to pull their weight for Warriors.

In such a scenario, it was much against the flow of the long-winding contest that the Warriors were able to spring a surprise in the climax thanks to the vibrant performance of Ajit Sail and Pradeep Pant, even as Saurabh contributed to the Bangalore team’s collapse by repeatedly burying the shots into the net.

The three players who had won medals in the Masters World Championship Radhika Tulpule, VM Ranjeet and Jagdish Tanwar were felicitated with cash awards at the presentation function.

The results:

Final: Aviraj Warriors bt Bangalore Challengers 130-125.

Semifinals: Bangalore Challengers bt Punjab Aces 135-120; Aviraj Warriors bt Tennis Titans 130-125.