The inaugural World Tennis League kicked off on Monday in Dubai. The Kites defeated the Eagles 35-27 after scoring two singles victories. The Eagles made a strong start and moved in front thanks to Bianca Andreescu and Nick Kyrgios. Andreescu and Kyrgios toppled Eugenie Bouchard and Holger Rune 6-2, 6-3 to move seven games in front. The Kites stroke back in the women’s singles, with world no. 1 Iga Swiatek beating Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-4 in under 70 minutes. They traded early breaks in the opening set, and Iga grabbed three straight games at 3-3 for 6-3. Swiatek led 5-3 in the second set before Garcia pulled the break back in the last moment for 4-5. The Pole broke again in game ten to seal the deal and keep her team alive. In the men’s singles, Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Nick Kyrgios 7-5, 6-3 in 65 minutes to propel the Kites over the top.
Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Nick Kyrgios in Dubai.
The Canadian played better behind the first and second serve and faced only two break points. Nick grabbed one break and struggled on the second serve to drop serve four times and propel Felix over the finish line. Kyrgios secured the encounter’s opening game at love and broke Auger-Aliassime in the next one after the Canadian’s double fault. The Aussie produced another hold at love in the third game for 3-0 in no time. Felix secured the fourth game with a powerful serve to reduce the deficit and get his name on the scoreboard. The Canadian broke back at 15 in the fifth game and produced another fine hold in the next one for 3-3.
Kyrgios held after deuce in game nine before Auger-Aliassime broke him at 5-5 to move in front. Felix served for the opener in game 12 and fired a forehand down the line winner for 7-5 and a boost. The Canadian closed the second set’s second game after deuce, and they both served well until 2-2. Felix made a decisive move with a backhand down the line winner in the fifth game, delivering a break and gaining a boost. Auger-Aliassime served well in games six and eight to forge a 5-3 advantage. Nick served to stay in the match in the ninth game and got broke when Felix landed a forehand down the line winner that carried him over the top.
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