Hyderabad is all set to host the third leg as well as the finals of the third season of the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) with top-seeded players including Roger Federer and Serena Williams.
Announcing this, Mahesh Bhupathi, founder and promoter of the Coca-Cola IPTL, said that all four IPTL teams would be playing at the Gachibowli stadium on December 9 and 10, 2016, followed by the IPTL finals on December 11, 2016.“Tennis is a much loved sport in South India and bringing the best players from the world to a variety of venues and regions across Asia has always been IPTL’s core focus. We are grateful for the support extended by the Telangana government to make this possible,” said Bhupathi. “This season required us to make some difficult choices and we have worked hard to bring Season 2016 to life across three host cities. The first two legs will be in Tokyo and Singapore before we culminate in Hyderabad, he added.The third season of the IPTL will commence in Tokyo from Dec 2-4 and move to Singapore from Dec 6-8 before reaching Hyderabad from Dec 9-11. The season will witness a total of 17 matches, with each of the four teams playing eight matches in a customized round robin format. “With the four city-based IPTL teams boasting of the best tennis players in the world, tennis aficionados across the south will have a rare opportunity to watch live, international tennis idols and national heroes, amongst a line-up of 30 of the best international tennis players currently and from the history books, as they battle it out for the coveted IPTL trophy and the prize money that is on offer.“We are excited to be moving home base, from Delhi to Hyderabad, to connect with a new demography of the Indian Tennis enthusiast. After two satisfying years in Delhi, the opportunity to call another city “home of the Indian Aces” is both exhilarating and exciting. We look forward to having the city come out in large numbers to support our very own Indian Ace, home-girl Sania Mirza amongst a spectacular line-up of international tennis stars. The Gachibowli stadium provides the perfect venue for a tennis event of such prestigious international standing,” Siddhesh Sharma, co-owner of the IPTL India franchise, the Indian Aces, said.