Bencic warms up to format
Swiss woman Belinda Bencic got used to the IPTl format and she did so comfortably by beating Ajla Tomljanovic6-3 to extend her team Singapore Slammers' lead. "Its tricky and tough to warm up because it's a one set format. So you have to warmup and perform well quickly. But its fun and today I got a hang of it and won," said Bencic whose biggest win in 2015 was the Rogers Cup where she beat Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams and Simona Halep.
Dwindling crowd
Be it the ISl semi-final in one part of the capital or the IPTl's Delhi leg, the common factor for both money churners was not the quality of sporting action but the poor crowd. The attendance at the Indira Gandhi indoor stadium looked even weaker than it did on the first day. Stands gave a weary look despite multiple top-100 players in action. The reason for that could be the high-ticket prices, the excitement factor gone or it being what it is - an exhibition. Keeping this in mind, it won't be surprising if the IPTl moves to another Indian city from the next season.
Gasquet injured
Philippine Mavericks player Richard Gasquet hurt his back during the Philippine leg of the tournament and on Friday was officially out of the IPTl. He went straight home for further tests and will be missing the Delhi leg and the remainder of the season. Things look bleak for 2016 too with the 2015 Wimbledon semi-finalist likely to skip the Qatar Open in Doha and a massive doubt for Australian Open that begins on 18th January.