EVENTS: International Premier Tennis League 2 in Manila

Feels like the world has finally come to our shores.

Coming from a third world country, we often have to cross oceans and continents just to catch our favorite artists or champs live in action. But in the past couple of years, it seems that some people has finally realized that there is a country in this corner of the world.

Case in point is the International Premier Tennis League which has brought Tennis Stars in our country. From 06-08 December 2015, past and present tennis stars play as teams. It's definitely a departure from the tourneys we all know.

From the IPTL official site:

Format

The IPTL teams compete in a customized round robin format of matches in each host country. The top two teams at the end of the round robin stage qualify for the final. The winner of the final is declared the champion.

With an aim to make the matches and the league more competitive for all the teams, in its second season, the league has terminated the ‘last set importance’ which gave the trailing team an opportunity to continue playing if they win the 5th set as played out in Season-I.

In Season-II, the 5th set continues in the conventional way, where the first team to score 6 games wins the set, with a 13-point tie-breaker to decide the winner, if the two teams are tied at 5-5.

If the two teams are tied (in terms of games won) at the end of the five (5) Sets, a super Shoot-Out is played in a Men’s Singles format to determine the winner of the Match. It is played as a 19-point super tiebreaker. The first team to win 10 points, 9-9 final point wins the Super Shoot-Out and hence the Match. A 2-point difference is not required, and it is not time bound (unlike Season 1).

The match-winner is the team that wins the most games and hence points, at the end of the five Sets.

Japan Warriors's Maria Sharapova didn't come to Manila this year 
so I took a photo with her cardboard self instead at the Head booth

I'm backing this Brit. Unfortunately, he's not playing in Manila.

No more tennis rackets for me so I had to stand there like an idiot.

First day and I could hardly contain my excitement!

Singapore Slammers warming up.

Hola, Carlos Moya!

Singapore Slammers showing their support to Captain Carlos Moya.

Two legends in one frame - UAE Royal's Goran Ivanisevic and Phil Maviricks' Mark Philippoussis.

Goran is still such a looker! heart emoticon

Philippine Mavericks's Serena Williams

Serena Williams serves

This may be no US Open but this legend was in the zone and out to annihilate Kurumi Nara. She did, actually, in like under ten or was it five minutes? Perhaps, her retaliation after being defeated by the same lady in Kobe? Hmmm..

Philippine Mavericks, the home team, taking a selfie after a rather good day.

Guess who I am rooting for?

My most-awaited Rafa moment. Never thought I'd get to witness him do his ritual in real life. 

I know, Rafa. It's hard to believe that we won and you lost but I still love you. Yes, I still do.

Someone's going on international television.