Nadal wins in Madrid title

1.    Nadal wins in Madrid title

i. Rafael Nadal won his fourth title at the Madrid Mutual Open on Sunday as he defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in a match his opponent was forced to abandon due to an injury in the final set.

ii. It was tough on the number 10 seed, who took the game to the home favourite and despite a partisan crowd cheering in Nadal’s favor and blitzed his way to the first set with some wonderful aggressive tennis.

2.    Manila to host 1st leg of newly launched International Premier Tennis League

i. Manila will host the first leg of the newly launched International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).

ii. The organisers of the event said today that it has been shifted from Bangkok to Manila because of the political unrest in Thailand.

iii. The Tennis League has attracted many top players of the ATP and WTA Tour to compete in the team competition. 

iv. The league format features a total of 24 matches to be played in the four host cities Manila, Singapore, Mumbai and Dubai from November to December. The teams compete against each other in one-set men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles and legends singles matches and the team that wins the most games (not sets) wins the match tie. 

3.    Sammy retires from tests but remains T20 captain

i. Asserting that he had no choice but to retire from Test cricket, hard-hitting West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy on Sunday said his role was not needed as captain and player in that format and IPL had nothing to do with his decision.

ii. Sammy, who remains as the T20 skipper, decided to retire from Test captaincy on Friday when the selectors announced Denesh Ramdin as his replacement. The 6 feet 5 inches tall player said it’s best to read the writing on the wall.

iii. “West Indies cricket has a new dispensation. It has a new force and direction and I am no longer required to play a role in Tests. I had no choice but to retire from Test cricket,” said Sammy.