Punjab Marshalls notched up a thumping 29-18 win over group leader, Delhi Dreams, in the Champions Tennis League here on Friday.
The victory not only did a world of good to Punjab’s morale but also put it right up in contention for a place in the final, as it followed Delhi by one point, with a cumulative total of 69. Two more matches in the group will be played in Mumbai after a day’s rest.
After sliding to the bottom of the three-team table, following two losses, Punjab responded like a champion. Leander Paes was full of energy despite stretching Juan Carlos Ferrero to the tie-break in the first ‘legends’ rubber.
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What followed was good, as Paes and Garbine Muguruza powered Punjab ahead, to a five-game lead, by winning the mixed doubles and then the women’s singles.
The margin could have been better at that stage but the host did not encash the second of the three free-points — won for it by Rishika Sunkara and Vidit Vaghela who knocked down three targets.
Muguruza had two game points on her serve at 5-4 and had deuce, before she dropped serve against the former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic. Muguruza could have won the set 6-4, rather than take a solitary game lead when she eventually won it in the tie-break.
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Paes and Somdev combined strongly to further take the match beyond the reach of Delhi, by extending the lead to eight games.
The challenge for Delhi, which had won its first two matches convincingly, was to take the last rubber through Kevin Anderson against Somdev. Even though there was a provision for a great escape to victory in the nicely-designed rules, it was too much of an exercise for the tall, world No. 16 to enact and execute. He did not have the motivation for a fight and slid to defeat.
The results: Punjab Marshalls bt Delhi Dreams 29-18 (Leander Paes lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero 5-6(2); Leander Paes and Garbine Muguruza bt Kevin Anderson and Jelena Jankovic 6-1; Garbine Muguruza bt Jelena Jankovic 6-5(1); Leander Paes and Somdev Devvarman bt Kevin Anderson and Sanam Singh 6-3; Somdev Devvarman bt Kevin Anderson 6-3).