The World Tennis League kicked off with a thriller in Dubai, featuring world #1 Aryna Sabalenka in a rollercoaster battle that had fans on the edge of their seats.
The Hawks and Falcons went head-to-head in the season opener, with each match playing just one set to keep things fast-paced and exciting.
Sabalenka and teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva struck first blood for The Hawks, winning a tight women’s doubles match against Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia in a nail-biting tiebreak, 7-5.
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Then came the drama everyone was waiting for: Sabalenka vs. Rybakina in singles.
Sabalenka, fresh off being named WTA Player of the Year, came out firing. She raced to a seemingly unbeatable 5-0 lead and was just two points away from a perfect set.
But tennis has a funny way of keeping you humble.
Rybakina mounted an incredible comeback, saving not one, not two, but nine match points. The crowd couldn’t believe what they were watching as the score crept closer and closer.
After saving match points at 1-5, 2-5, 3-5, 4-5, and even 5-6, Rybakina forced a tiebreak. She even grabbed a 3-1 lead there, but Sabalenka wasn’t having it. The world #1 finally closed it out 7-3.
“I was just telling myself you can’t be that tough on Elena,” Sabalenka joked afterward. “She’s such a nice person. You cannot do that to her. Let’s be friendly, and get it to 5-all and then we’ll see.”
But Sabalenka’s heroics wouldn’t be enough for The Hawks. The men’s matches would decide everything.
Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov faced off against Sumit Nagal and Jordan Thompson in doubles, with Thompson and Nagal pulling off a 7-5 win to put The Hawks up 21-17.
It all came down to Rublev vs. Thompson in singles. Thompson had a four-game cushion thanks to his team’s earlier work, but Rublev wasn’t done yet.
The Russian star won his singles match 7-5, then forced a decisive match tiebreak at 26-all. With everything on the line, Rublev dominated the tiebreak 10-6.
The Falcons emerged victorious 29-26, with those final two bonus points from the match tiebreak making all the difference.
What a way to start the season.
