Mladenovic impresses anew as Royals notch win No. 2

MANILA, Philippines – Kristina Mladenovic continued her impressive play in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) as she coasted to an easy 6-1 win over Daniela Hantuchova Saturday to lift the UAE Royals to a second win in a row at the expense of winless Singapore Slammers.

Mladenovic, more known for her doubles play, is playing good tennis at singles.

One day after pushing world no.2 Maria Sharapova to the limit, the 67th ranked Swiss power-hitter scored the most lopsided win in their tie paving the way for the Royals to get the 28-22 victory in Day 2 of the tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Mladenovic broke the spirit of Hantuchova when she padded her 2-1 lead to 4 games to 1 following a beautiful serve.

“We’re really glad to be two wins up. We have an amazing team. When we look at the other teams on paper, well it looks incredible having those champions. Yesterday we beat a team that has (Maria) Sharapova, (Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga and (Andy) Murray,” Mladenovic said.

The Royals are not wanting in quality with the reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic, legend Goran Ivnisevic and doubles specialist Nenad Zimonic in their team but this Saturday, it was Mladenovic who made the biggest difference.

Her one-sided win in the women’s singles match gave the Royals the much-needed cushion as they inched ahead to 17-11 after splitting the first two matches.

Cilic edged out Thomas Berdych in the men’s singles. But Berdych got his revenge swiftly when he teamed up with Nick Kyrgios in the men’s doubles to deal Cilic and Nenad Zimonjic a 6-5 loss via shootout.

Hantuchova also got back at Mladenovic in the mixed doubles pairing up with Bruno Soares, who was later substituted by Kyrgios in what proved to be a master stroke as the duo got the 6-5 win, again, via shootout.

Patrick Rafter tried to rally the Slammers, but Goran Ivanisevic turned back the hands of time in a vintage performance to pull off the win in another thrilling shootout.

The Royals will go for a sweep on Sunday against the Indian Aces, who are still playing the Manila Mavericks as of posting time.