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Photo by IPTL
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By Alex Cerado
PASAY--World’s No. 1 Serena Williams and Canadian Milos Raonic steered the Philippine Mavericks into their third-straight win at the expense of Rafael Nadal-powered Micromax Indian Aces, 25-24, in the third and final day of the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) at the Mall of Asia Arena Tuesday.
Down 13-16 going into the fourth set, Williams showcased another stellar performance for the home team and repulsed Samantha Stosur, 6-3. The victory tied the scores at 19-apiece on the way to the final match.
In the last game, Raonic faced Spanish superstar Nadal in a nail-biting 6-5 match that could have gone either ways. In the end, Raonic prevailed giving the home team their third victory in Manila, 25-24.
“I just played my game and stuck to the plan. With Rafa (Nadal) out there, I knew I had to keep the points short, not let him control the game, and that’s just what I did," Raonic said.
Mark Philippoussis started for the Mavericks with a 6-4 performance against Aces' playing coach Fabrice Santoro.
The duo of Filipino tennister Treat Huey and Williams fell short against Doubles' world No. 1 Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna of Micromax, 3-6.
Ivan Dodig and Nadal teamed-up in the third set to upheld Mavericks' Richard Gasquet and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 6-3.
“I loved the energy out there today. I had my chances, it could have gone either ways, but it was a great match. Itwas a great afternoon," Nadal said.
Follow this writer on Twitter: @alexcerado
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