Abu Dhabi: Top stars to vie for World Tennis League glory

Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are among the top players in action

A Staff Reporter

Published: Wed 18 Dec 2024, 7:17 PM

As the sun rises on December 19, Abu Dhabi will be home to ‘The Greatest Show on Court!’ as top tennis stars along with music icons come together for World Tennis League Season 3.

Scheduled to take place at the Etihad Arena from December 19 to 22, the league is supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), and Miral.

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World Tennis League Season 3 will feature four teams – HonorFX Eagles, TSL Hawks, Game Changers Falcons, and Kites - each comprising of four players. In the previous edition, Team Eagles, led by Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Mirra Andreeva, and Sofia Kenin, were crowned champions. With new faces participating this year, the teams have been reshuffled to make the league more thrilling than ever.

Elena Rybakina, Caroline Garcia, Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov will play for Game Changers Falcons, while TSL Hawks will feature Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Sumit Nagal and Jordan Thompson.

Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Shevchenko and Paula Badosa will represent HonorFX Eagles and Simona Halep, Jasmine Paolini, Nick Kyrgios and Casper Ruud will play for Kites.

All the teams will compete in a single round-robin format, with each team playing one match against each other. The top two teams, with the highest number of games won, will advance to the summit clash, scheduled to take place on December 22.

Each match will consist of four sets: Men's Singles, Women's Singles, and two doubles sets, which may include Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, or Mixed Doubles, as determined by the team that wins the coin toss.

WTL will also follow a unique format, in which, if the trailing team wins the fourth set, the match goes into overtime (OT).

OT will continue until the leading team wins one more game or the trailing team matches the overall game total. If the game scores are equal, the match will be decided by a Super Shootout.

The same players playing the fourth set will continue to play the Super Shootout. The first to reach ten points wins, with sudden death at 9-9. The winner of the Super Shootout will be awarded one game and also earn two additional bonus points.

As teams battle out for the top spots, every game will have an impact on their standings, determined by the number of games won. If teams are tied in total points, their head-to-head record and game-winning percentage will come into play.

The season will kickstart with an exciting opener as Game Changers Falcons, featuring top guns like Rybakina and Rublev, take on TSL Hawks, led by the Women's World. No 1 Sabalenka and Indian tennis star Nagal.

Meanwhile, Swiatek and Tsitsipas will lead the defending champions, HonorFX Eagles, against the Kites, featuring two-time Grand Slam champion Halep and crowd favourite Kyrgios.

On the second day (December 20), the Kites will take on Game Changers Falcons, while TSL Hawks will square off against HonorFX Eagles in the evening match.

On the penultimate day (December 21), TSL Hawks and Kites will play the opening match, followed by the last league stage match between Game Changers Falcons and HonorFX Eagles. The final of the World Tennis League Season 3 will be held on December 22.