Bopanna's SG Pipers Bengaluru, Luciano's Rajasthan Rangers off to winning starts in TPL 7

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], December 9 (ANI): The opening day of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) Season 7 served up a series of well-contested games at the Gujarat University Tennis Stadium. Taking place in Ahmedabad for the first time, the likes of Rohan Bopanna, Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Luciano Darderi put on a show for the fans.
The matches took place on a charcoal-coloured court, and all eight teams were part of the action on Tuesday. SG Pipers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Rangers began their campaign with wins after the two intense matches, as per a press release from TPL.

SG Pipers and Gurgaon Grand Slammers took centre stage in the first match of the season with Sahaja Yamalapalli and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty playing the opening game. Shrivalli Bhamidipaty gave SG Pipers the ideal start with an 18-7 win in the Women's Singles encounter. She then teamed up with Rohan Bopanna in the Mixed Doubles category, continuing her winning run with a hard-fought 14-11 victory against Sahaja and Sriram Balaji.
In the Men's Singles category, Dan Evans pulled things back for Gurgaon Grand Slammers with a 16-9 win against Ramkumar Ramnathan. In the Men's Doubles category, SG Pipers Bengaluru prevailed courtesy the duo of Rohan Bopanna and Ramkumar Ramnathan, winning 15-10 against Sriram Balaji and Dan Evans. With that win, SG Pipers Bengaluru began their campaign with a 56-44 victory.

Defending champions Hyderabad Strikers took the court to face Rajasthan Rangers in the second game. Carole Monnet got the Strikers off to a winning start with an 18-7 win against Ekaterina Kazionova in the Women's Singles category. Ekaterina Kazionova and Dhakshineswar Suresh clinched the Mixed Doubles game for Rajashtan Ranger, winning 13-12 against Carole Monnet and Vishnu Vardhan.
In the Men's Singles category, Luciano Darderi won 15-10 against Pedro Martinez to mount Rajasthan Rangers' fightback. Luciano Darderi and Dhakshineswar Suresh won 17-8 against Vishnu Vardhan and Pedro Martinez, helping Rajasthan Rangers secure a close 52-48 win.
In the second half of the day, GS Delhi Aces will face Yash Mumbai Eagles in the third match. Meanwhile, Chennai Smashers and Gujarat Panthers will conclude proceedings on day one. (ANI)