Today's Edition
Abu Dhabi (Aletihad)
The teams and schedule for the third season of the World Tennis League (WTL), supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council and in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral, has been announced.
Slated to be held from December 19-22 at the Etihad Arena, the WTL will feature four teams – Eagles (the defending champions), Hawks, Falcons, and Kites – with each boasting of some of the finest tennis players from across the globe. This year, all teams have been refreshed for a revised composition.
Eagles will be depending on Iga Swiatek, Barbora Krejcikova, Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud for their title defence. Swiatek's key rival Aryna Sabalenka leads the challenge at the Hawks' franchise with last year's winning team's junior most member Mirra Andreeva stepping up alongside her with Taylor Fritz and Sumit Nagal.
Falcons look formidable with Elena Rybakina, Caroline Garcia, Daniil Medvedev and his close friend Andrey Rublev in one camp. The Kites have Stefano Tsitsipas, Paula Badosa and the trending Jasmine Paolini, but the most notable name is that of Nick Kyrgios, who will be using the Abu Dhabi courts to make a statement coming out of an early retirement.
All the teams will compete in a single round-robin (all-play-all) 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 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.
To add to the excitement, WTL will also follow a unique format, in which, if the trailing team wins the fourth set, the match goes into Overtime. That 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.
In the Super Shootout, the 'home' team – listed first in the order of play – chooses the competitor, while the opposing team selects the side and decides whether to serve or receive first. The first to reach 10 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 vie 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.
