Match: Japan Warriors v UAE Royals
Date: 8 December, Thursday
Time: 5pm SGT/2:30pm IST/9am GMT
Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium
Competition: International Premier Tennis League 2016
TV Channel: Hub Sports 1 will provide live TV coverage in Singapore.
Live Streaming: The match can be watched online at IPTL TV.
Overview
Japan Warriors take on UAE Royals in their final match of International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) Singapore leg on 8 December.
The Warriors recorded their first win in the Southeast Asian country on Wednesday when they defeated Indian Aces 27-20. It was also their only second win of the tournament after a lone win in the Japan leg against their Thursday's opponents.
Warriors' Men's singles star Fernando Verdasco, who was struggling to get going in the ongoing tournament, came up with a top effort against Feliciano Lopez, when he defeated the Aces player 6-1. In the absence of Kei Nishikori, Verdasco needs to stitch a string of wins if Warriors are looking to make use of the momentum shift.
Jelena Jankovic also hit form as she overpowered Kirsten Flipkens, who had been solid for the Aces until Wednesday. Another win against the Royals will give Warriors enough confidence before they head into the last leg in India.
On the other hand, Royals were comfortably placed on top of the standings after the Japan leg, have failed to replicate their performances in Singapore. They have lost both their matches at the Indoor Stadium and have not even clinched a bonus point as they have not won 20 games on either of the occasions.
On Wednesday, the Royals were completely outplayed by the home team, Singapore Slammers. The UAE-based team was not able to win even one set as their star players Ana Ivanovic and Nick Kyrgios lost their respective singles sets.
Ivanovic's inability to win matches has been hurting the Slammers, who were bettered served when they played Martina Hingis in the Women's singles. Mixed doubles pairing of the Swiss star and Pablo Cuevas have also lost both their outings in Singapore.
The Royals will have to buckle up and win Thursday's outing or will see themselves squandering a good start to the tournament.
TV Schedule
Thailand: Sports Gateway
Malaysia: Sports Gateway
Vietnam: Sports Gateway
Indonesia: Sports Gateway
Australia: Sports Gateway
Japan: WoWoW INC
US: Tennis Channel
India: Star Sports
Switzerland: MCS
Brazil: ESPN
Spain: Sports Gateway
