Tennis Clinic with Coca-Cola IPTL stars through PLDT HOME Fibr

The lucky tennis clinic participants

The Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) just had their second stop in Manila, and with broadband provider PLDT HOME Fibr being one of the tournament presenters, they kicked off the Manila festivities with an exclusive tennis clinic with some young Pinoy athletes, as well as lucky Fibr subscribers.

The clinic featured three players from the defending champion Indian Aces (team skipper Fabrice Santoro, Rohan Bopanna, and newcomer Ivan Dodig) serving as mentors for these lucky participants, who had the chance to have warm-ups and exhibition matches, alongside teaching moments that will be of help for these kids as they grow into the sport.

Indian Aces stalwarts Rohan Bopanna, Fabrice Santoro, and Ivan Dodig
with the lucky participants of the PLDT HOME Fibr tennis clinic.

IPTL set to return to Manila later this year

From L-R: Chris Quimpo (SMART Sports Marketing), Gary Dujali (PLDT VP and HOME Marketing head)
Edgar Tejerero (SM Lifestyle Entertainment President), Abishek Ponia (IPTL VP for Operations)
Jean Henri Lhullier, Kevin Belmonte, and Haresh Hiranand (Philippine Mavericks co-owners)

The Mavericks are seeking to be better in the second iteration of the International Premier Tennis League.

Known last year as the Manila Mavericks, they rebranded themselves as the Philippine Mavericks to be consistent with the other teams (UAE Royals, Singapore Slammers, Indian Aces, and the newly-established Japan Warriors) who are national in scope, according to tennis patron Jean Henri Lhullier.

Lhullier co-owns the team, alongside Kevin Belmonte, Haresh Hiranand, and SM's Hans Sy.

The squad will have some changes from last year's edition, with just three holdovers in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Mark Philippousis, and Treat Huey. Leading the cast of newcomers are women's world number 1 Serena Williams, Richard Gasquet, Sabine Lisicki, Jarmila Gajdosova and Borna Coric.

The Mall of Asia Arena served as the host for the inaugural leg of the first IPTL season last year, with the venue virtually sold out for all three days in late November.

Fans were intrigued with the league's novel concepts not seen in conventional tournaments, as well as the presence of well-known tennis stars and legends.

The same venue will host the 2015 edition. This time, it would cap off the season, serving as the final leg on December 6-8 after it kicks off in September. Tickets for the Manila leg will be available starting July 15.

PLDT HOME Fibr will once again serve as a presenter for the IPTL Manila leg, alongside sister company SMART Communications, in a move the highlights the desire to bring only the best (in this case, world class sporting events and entertainment) for Filipinos.

PLDT VP and HOME Marketing Head Gary Dujali expressed pride, noting that "Last year was a great experience for everybody, seeing the best tennis athletes in the world in one venue playing right before your eyes is indeed a spectacle."

Smash it Up to complement IPTL Manila leg

Smash It Up

Complementing the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League's Manila leg is a FREE outdoor festival called #SmashItUpMnl.

Set to take place at the Pacific lot beside the Mall of Asia Arena on all three days of the leg, tennis patrons and fans alike will be enthralled with games and entertaining performances, and even the chance to mingle and see their favorite tennis star.

Among the musical performers during #SmashItUpMnl are DJs Gandhi and Ron Poe, Razorback, Paolo Valenciano, She's Only Sixteen, Taken by Cars, Quest, Blue Jean Junkies, Kat Agarrado, the Zombettes, Reese and Vica, Julianne, Malay, and ANTM's Sophie Sumner.

For more details, you can check their Twitter account, @smashitupmnl.

PLDT-HOME Fibr powers IPTL

Your Manila Mavericks of the IPTL

PLDT HOME Fibr is no stranger to attaching its name to major sporting events. The country's most powerful broadband provider's latest sporting endeavor is now a presenter in the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League.

PLDT VP and HOME Marketing Head Gary Dujali expressed "pride and joy" to be part of this "prestigious and world-class sporting event," adding that this is "an opportunity for us to reaffirm our dedication to provide top-notch sports entertainment experiences for our consumers."

The IPTL brings together some of the best tennis stars together in a new kind of team competition. Representing Manila, UAE, India and Singapore, the IPTL promises to honor its motto of  "Breaking the Code."

For more details on PLDT's involvement with the tournament, check this link -> http://pldthome.com/fibr/iptl.

Phase 3 for Coca-Cola IPTL New Delhi leg tickets available on November 15

The Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League announced on Friday that Phase 3 of its tickets sales for those interested in watching the IPTL leg at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi will begin at noontime on November 15, Saturday.

Fans just need to go to www.bookmyshow.com to purchase tickets for the third leg of the tournament, which will take place on December 6-8.

Prices range from INR 3,240 (US $52.41) to INR 49,680 (US $803.56), for the chance to watch two matches. Much like the Manila leg, it begins at 430pm and 730 pm local time.

Representing New Delhi are the Micromax Indian Aces, led by the iconic Roger Federer and tennis legend Pete Sampras. Complementing the duo are French tennisters Gael Monfils and Fabrice Santoro, Ana Ivanovic, and India's very own Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna.

You can check out more details on the Coca-Cola IPTL on these links -> http://www.iptlworld.com / http://www.youtube.com/premiertennisleague / http://twitter.com/iptl / https://www.facebook.com/iptl

Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League reveals global broadcasting reach

The Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League will have a global reach when it opens at the end of the month.

The IPTL revealed that it will be telecast in more than 125 countries, to over 300 million households worldwide in HD quality, ensuring a global footprint in its inaugural year of existence.

“We are thrilled to take the inaugural Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League to global audiences through many of the world’s leading broadcasters. In an era in which the media is at the forefront of all live action, we are pleased to offer an unmatched viewing experience to audiences across the world and believe the event will change the way the world looks at the sport of tennis in the seasons to come,” according to founder Mahesh Bhupathi.

For the Philippines, ABS-CBN has secured the rights to the competition.

The competition puts together 21 Grand Slam champions and 14 current and former World #1's into four franchises (Manila Mavericks, UAE Royals, Singapore Slammers, and MicroMax Indian Aces) with some spice added to the original rules of the sport (time outs, power points, shootouts, a running shot clock, HAWK eye, etc.), highlighting its mantra of "Break the Code."

IPTL to hold Twitter contest for tennis fans

Staying true to its "Break The Code" mantra, the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) launched a contest set to thrill tennis fans in the region.

Titled "The Great Big IPTL Contest," it allows for tennis fans to have a chance to be with their favorite stars within the four legs of the competition.

To be run via Twitter, fans (with a companion) will have the chance to be flown to a particular venue (Manila, Singapore, New Delhi, Dubai), stay in a 5-star accommodation, and enjoy three days of high-quality tennis, with a chance to sit with a team in the dugout for a match.

The contest will run for two weeks, with four winners to have their moment of a lifetime and have something they can brag about with their friends.

Details on this contest are on www.iptlworld.com/contest. So check it.

Coca-Cola emerges as International Premier Tennis League Title Sponsor

The International Premier Tennis League on Monday officially welcomed the world's largest beverage company into its fold.

Coca-Cola is now a title sponsor of the tournament, which will now be called the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League.

Being a part of the IPTL is in line with the company's commitment to promote sports and create a future generation of sports enthusiasts worldwide, something they have been consistent with over the years with their support during the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, NASCAR, the NBA, and the NCAA.

Founder Mahesh Bhupathi welcomed the company's participation in the tournament, noting that the tournament is looking forward to providing Coca-Cola with "superior recognition" and "visibility among its fans."

Coca-Cola India VP for Marketing and Commercial Mr. Debabrata Mukherjee expressed excitement with the company's association with IPTL. He feels that the partnership allows them to "further catalyze their efforts to promote healthy, active lifestyles."

To add, he sees this not only as a chance for fans to watch and enjoy their favorite tennis stars, but also views this as a "perfect platform" to launch a "Culture of Tennis" in India, allowing youngsters to be inspired by some of the world's best players and take up the sport and follow the footsteps of great Indian tennisters like Bhupathi, Leander Paes, and Sania Mirza. 


Among the benefits they receive as a title sponsor:

Coca-Cola will be handling a special promotion to determine three lucky kids for the Coin Toss in three matches.

They will also handle one of the IPTL's new innovations: the PowerPoint. To be called the "Happiness PowerPoint," each team has a chance to use it once per set. Once called, the team can gain an additional point if they win it, or else they lose a point if they are unsuccessful.

Ticketing details for IPTL leg in New Delhi revealed

Tennis fans will have the chance to see their favorite stars in person this December, as the Micromax Indian Aces of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) revealed details about ticket sales for the Indian leg of the competition, which is set to take place from December 6-8.

Starting at 9am IST on Friday, October 31, fans can purchase tickets via its official online ticketing partner www.bookmyshow.com. Ticket availability will be conducted via phases, with 6,000 tickets across different prices to be sold for Phase 1.

Leading the Aces are Swiss tennis icon Roger Federer and 14-time Grand Slam winner Pete Sampras.

Completing the crew are Ana Ivanovic and Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Fabrice Santoro, while giving it a local flavor are Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna.

Hosting the Indian leg of the IPTL is the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, the country's largest indoor sports arena, seating 15,000.

With the intent of making the tournament accessible to as many fans as possible, tickets will be sold for as low as RS 3,240 for the Category 3 seats (South, West, North West, South East, and South West).

Premium Seats On Court (North & South) and Off-Court (North, South, East, West, and North West) are priced at RS 49,680 and 29,160 respectively.


Category 1 seats are priced at RS 25,920 (South- Cushion Seats), RS 22,680 (North), RS 19,440 (East and West), RS 19,440 (South West – Cushion Seats), and RS 16,200 (North West, South East, and South West – Plastic Seats).

Category 2 seats are priced at RS 22,680 (South – Cushion Seats), RS 19,440 (North and South – Plastic Seats), RS 16,200 (East and West), RS 16,200 (South West – Cushion Seats), and RS 12,960 (North West, South East, and South West – Plastic Seats).

Ticket Packages now available for Dubai leg of IPTL

Details on ticket packages for the final leg (December 11-13) of the highly-anticipated International Premier Tennis League have been revealed.

Set to be released on September 15 (today), two kinds of passes will be made available on www.ticketmaster.ae and www.platinumlist.net: day passes and season passes.

Season passes encompass all three days of the competition at the Hamdan Sports Complex, allowing fans to be able to watch all six matchups. Day passes will allow you to watch one day's worth of matchups. To encourage more people to avail of the season passes, they come with a 10% discount. Fans can purchase them in three locations: Regular, Corner Prime, and VVIP.

Regular day pass tickets are priced at AED 200 (tier 1), AED 120 (tier 2) and AED 70 (tier 3).
Regular season passes will be available for AED 540 (tier 1), AED 324 (tier 2) and AED 189 (tier 3).

Corner Prime day pass tickets start at AED 450 (tier 1), AED 250 (tier 2), AED 150 (tier 3).
Corner Prime season passes are priced at AED 1,215 (tier 1), AED 675 (tier 2), and AED 405 (tier 3).

VVIP ticket day passes are available at AED 2,000 and AED 2,500.
VVIP season passes are priced at AED 6,000 and AED 7,500.