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The Slammers banked on seasoned players Nick Kyrgios and Belinda Bencic to dispatch the cellar dwelling Warriors.
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By Alex Cerado
PASAY--The OUE Singapore Slammers made quick work of Legendari Japan Warriors, 29-20, to open the Manila Leg of International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) on a high note at the Mall of Asia Arena Sunday.
The Slammers, who currently at fourth place after the first leg in Japan, banked on seasoned players Nick Kyrgios and Belinda Bencic to dispatch the cellar dweller Warriors.
In the third match, Bencic proved to be a force to reckon with after the Warriors fielded two players but still came on top, 6-2, in the women's single bout.
Down 1-2, the young Bencic came back and upheld Kurumi Nara to shift the momentum in favor of her, 3-2.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni later replaced Nara for Japan but Bencic was unstoppable to give her team the second win, 6-2.
The victory gave OUE a wide 17-12 lead after three outings.
In the second men's single match, Slammer Nick Kyrgios and Philipp Kohlschreiber of Japan battled neck-and-neck with the former getting away with the victory, 6-5.
"He's a tough pIayer (Kohlschreiber). I feel comfortable playing and the bench was pretty fun. Even if you have a break there are a lot of chances. The chemistry is out there (for Singapore)," Kyrgios said.
Kyrgios and Bencic later combined forces in the mixed doubles to seal the match for Singapore, 6-3.
Earlier, Carlos Moya returned to the Philippines with a 6-4 pulsating performance over Legendari's Marat Safin.
The lone win for Japan was provided by the duo of Paes and Herbert in a highly-contested 6-5 duel against Singapore's Melo and Brown.
The three-day tournament is composed of five teams in a round-robin five game matchups. The Manila series will run until Dec. 8 at the same venue.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @AlexCerado
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