Hyderabad Strikers crowned Tennis Premier League champions

Hyderabad Strikers thumped Mumbai Leon Army 49-31 in the final of the Tennis Premier League (TPL). The tournament concluded at the Celebration Club in Mumbai on Sunday.

Karman Kaur gave the Hyderabad Strikers an explosive start, defeating Sowjanya Bavisetti of Mumbai Leon Army 15-5 in the opening women’s singles. Karman’s crushing victory paved the way for their convincing 18-point triumph in the summit clash.

Karman Kaur defeated Sowjanya Bavisetti to give Hyderabad Strikers a flying start

Having played a tough semi-final against the Pune Jaguars and with not enough time to recover before the final, Bavisetti was a shadow of herself against Karman. Karman's big serve and hard-hitting forced Bavisetti to concede a huge lead early in the game, from which she could not recover.

The same was the case in the men’s singles as Ramkumar fell short against Arjun Kadhe, losing 8-12. The 14-point deficit after the first two matches was just too much to scale, especially with Vishnu Vardhan coming in to play the mixed doubles.

Although Niki Poonacha and Sowjanya put on a game fight, they too went down 9-11. That was the case in the men’s doubles, with Ramkumar and Niki losing 9-11 to Vishnu and Arjun.

Vishnu Vardhan and Arjun Kadhe excel for Hyderabad Strikers

The match between Vishnu Vardhan-Arjun Kadhe and Ramkumar-Niki Poonacha was a nail-biting affair. The pair of Vishnu Vardhan and Arjun Kadhe were stretched by their opponents before they managed to win 11-9.

The match saw several long rallies and kept the spectators entertained. Vishnu Vardhan and Arjun Kadhe's experience came in handy for them as they overcame stiff challenges from Ramkumar and Niki. Both the pair gave their best and were involved in several pulsating rallies.

Results (Final)

Hyderabad Strikers beat Mumbai Leon Army 49-31

(Karman Kaur bt Sowjanya Bavisetti 15-5; Arjun Kadhe bt Ramkumar 12-8; Vishnu Vardhan/Karman bt Niki Poonacha/Sowjanya 11-9; Vishnu/Arjun bt Ramkumar/Niki 11-9).