It was a historic day for Indian tennis, as fans at the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium witnessed a showdown between Federer and Djokovic in a high-power display of tennis.
"It was great to be here in India for the first time," Djokovic said after the match. "It was a unique and valuable experience. The people, the kindness, the hospitality strikes me right away."
The match between the Aces and the Royals was witnessed by a packed house that included some of India's biggest stars: Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Riteish Deshmukh and Sunil Gavaskar.
The final night of the IPTL's New Delhi leg was kicked off by the women's singles set between Kristina Mladenovic and Ana Ivanovic.
Both players performed equally well to reach even scores, but it was Mladenovic who won a gripping five-minute shootout to claim the set, 6-5.
In a match-up of past champions, a confident Goran Ivanisevic thrived on his IPTL experience, while 14-time Grand Slam Pete Sampras gave the crowds a small taste of his greatness. Sampras was eventually subbed out in favor of Aces team captain Fabrice Santoro, who tried his best but it was Ivanisevic who won, 6-3.
In the mixed doubles set, Federer replaced Rohan Bopanna to pair up with Sania Mirza, but the substitution was not enough as Maldenovic and Nenad Zimonjic racked up a 6-2 victory.
The Aces finally got on the winning track when Federer teamed up with Gael Monfils for an enthralling men's doubles set against Djokovic, who replaced Marin Cilic, and Zimonjic.
The set reached 5-5, setting in motion a shootout that went down the wire but was eventually won by the Aces.
In an encounter that the nation was waiting to watch, Djokovic and Federer met in the men's singles set an created magic on court.
With majestic shot making and geometric precision, the two giants played a neck-and-neck set, which went to another shootout but eventually ended in a 6-6 stalemate.
"The match with Novak was great," Federer said. "I think we both played a good game at a great level. I think he struggled initially, but managed to pull up in the end."
"I was also very happy with my level of performance," he added. "Playing Novak in India is special. It was a thrilling match, and I thoroughly enjoyed it."
The draw meant that Djokovic's Royals won with an aggregate score of 29-22, cutting into the Aces' lead in the overall table.
The Aces still top the table with 30 points, but the Royals and the Manila Mavericks are on their heels with 27 points. The Singapore Slammers bring up the rear with 17 points.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
