Sania Mirza and her Indian partner Rohan Bopanna inspired the Indian Aces to victory over the reigning champions OUE Singapore Slammers in Hyderabad and a place in Sunday's final.
The Indian Aces headed into their home leg of the International Premier Tennis League at the pinnacle of the competition.
But they laid down the marker for the opposition as they secured a thrilling 23-19 success over the Slammers with Mirza and Bopanna cheered on by the home faithful - a result which ensures they finish top of the regular-season standings with a game to spare.
Feliciano Lopez and Ivan Dodig opened up with a 6-2 scoreline against Marcos Baghdatis and Marcelo Melo in the men's doubles before Lopez whitewashed Nick Kyrgios 6-0 in just 17 minutes.
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Kiki Bertens recovered for the Slammers with a 6-2 win against Kirsten Flipkens before legend Carlos Moya edged out Aces' player/coach Thomas Enqvist 6-4 to set things up nicely for the final mixed doubles match.
And it was left to Mirza and Bopanna to see the Aces home as the pair won 6-5 against Baghdatis and Bertens.
The Japan Warriors ended the UAE Royals' hopes of reaching the final with a 25-20 victory.
The stand-out set result was a 6-0 success for Jean-Julien Rojer and Fernando Verdasco over Tomas Berdych and Pablo Cuevas.
The Warriors now have a two-point lead over the Slammers in the table but the pair meet in the final round of group fixtures on Saturday which is essentially a semi-final - the winner will join the Aces in Sunday's title match.
Watch the IPTL live on Sky Sports at 10.30am on Saturday with the Singapore Slammers up against Japan Warriors and Indian Aces taking on UEA Royals with the final this Sunday. Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get six months half price
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