Tribune News Network
Abu Dhabi
Game Changers Falcons clinched the World Tennis League Season 3 title with a hard-fought 20-16 victory over TSL Hawks at the iconic Etihad Arena on Sunday.
Despite losing the first two sets - women’s doubles and women’s singles – Game Changers Falcons staged a remarkable comeback, dominating the men’s doubles and men’s singles to claim the title in a thrilling fashion.
In a rematch of the season opener, Game Changers Falcons’ Elena Rybakina and Caroline Garcia began strongly, breaking the opening serve of the match against TSL Hawks’ Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva. Despite their stellar performances in the league stage, Sabalenka and Andreeva looked unsettled early on. However, they mounted an impressive comeback as they recovered from a 0-5 deficit to level the score at 5-5. Rybakina and Garcia then managed to break the serve again to regain lead, but a series of unforced errors allowed their opponents to force a tie-break.
In the tie-break, Sabalenka and Andreeva found themselves trailing once again but displayed remarkable composure to turn the tables and clinch the women’s doubles set 7-6.
Teenage sensation Andreeva carried her remarkable form into the women’s singles against Rybakina. She broke Rybakina’s second and third serves to gain the upper hand and comfortably close out the set 6-2, extending TSL Hawks’ overall lead to 13-8 in the match.
In the men’s doubles, Game Changers Falcons’ Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov dominated the entire set against TSL Hawks’ Sumit Nagal and Jordan Thompson. They broke Nagal’s serve twice to maintain the lead and sealed the set 6-2. This win narrowed the overall game tally to 14-15, setting the stage for a thrilling men’s singles.
Riding on his form, Rublev held his opening serve to level the overall game tally at 15-15 before winning three consecutive games to take 18-15 lead and put his team firmly in control. While Nagal managed to pull a game back, Rublev closed the men’s singles set 6-1 in a dominant fashion to help his team clinch the title with a 20-16 win, and marking a memorable end to World Tennis League Season 3.
Addressing the media in a post-match press conference, Game Changers Falcons’ coach and captain, John-Laffnie de Jager said, "I’ve done team events for a while, and I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have really good people on the team. They get along well, they’re professional, they show up and at the end of the day, they perform. First time when we played against the Hawks, we were behind, we came back from that point to win it and the same happened tonight. So, the format is great, because you are never out and always have a chance to win it. It was an awesome campaign for us, and everybody enjoyed it.”
Shapovalov added, "You always look for matches in the off-season, and a team event like World Tennis League is the perfect way to check where your level is at. It was great to be alongside these players and win the competition.”
Garcia said, "In tennis it’s not very often you have an opportunity to play in a team set-up, and I really enjoyed it. I had a great time knowing a bit more about everyone in the team and looking forward for more fun next year.”
Rybakina reflected, "It’s always amazing to play in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. I really enjoyed my time at the World Tennis League. Hopefully next year also, it’s going to be the same fun.”
With the support of Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), and Miral, Season 3 of the World Tennis League turned to be bigger and more exciting than ever. The event featured thrilling world-class tennis action alongside electrifying performances by global artists such as Bryan Adams, Anastacia, and Akon.