Punjab Patriots stormed into the semi-finals in their inaugural season of the Tennis Premier League in Pune on Saturday. The Patriots secured a thumping victory against hosts Pune Jaguars with a score line of 43-37, showcasing their distinctive style. Currently, Punjab Patriots lead the points table with 207 points.
Conny Perrin of Switzerland delivered a spectacular performance in the Women's singles game against Diana of the home team. Dominating the game from the start, Conny provided Punjab Patriots with an 8-point lead, concluding the match with a score of 14-6 The high tempo of Punjab was maintained by Digvijay Pratap Singh in game 2 as both teams shared 5 points in the first half of the game with Rosol of Pune. Unfortunately, Digvijay was unable to find the right angles in the second half and lost the game 7-13. After completing the two singles games of the match, the Punjab Patriots led 21-19 against the home team. The two-time Player of the Match, local lad Arjun Khade, teamed up with Conny in the mixed doubles against Pune's Diana and Rithvik, where they remained unbeaten. Despite leading the proceedings, the pair ended up drawing the game 10-10 due to a double fault on the final serve. Moving into the final game, the Arjun and Digvijay pair were determined to push the limits and secure a spot for the Patriots in the semis. They maintained momentum, leading the game throughout and finishing with a score of 9-11 in their favor. "Today, we had our lady luck, Taapsee Pannu with us and the energy of the team was completely electric. A huge credit to Conny today for her dominating performance. She definitely gave us breathing space with 8 points lead in the opener. Arjun and Digvijay ended the match on a high note for us and we are thrilled to be in the semifinal in our first season," Punjab Patriots Mentor Ankita Bhambri said as quoted by a release from Tennis Premier League. Punjab Patriots' Swiss miss was named the player of the match after her dominating performance in the open game. With 2 more matches remaining for the day, Punjab Patriots will be keenly waiting to find their opponent for the semifinal match scheduled tomorrow. (ANI)
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