Sharapova, Murray set to arrive Nov. 26

Maria Sharapova, Andy Murray and the rest of the Manila Mavericks members are set to arrive Nov. 26, two days before the groundbreaking International Premier Tennis League kicks off with the first of four legs here in the country.

Sources privy to the event but are not authorized to talk also confirmed yesterday that the tennis superstars will be billeted at Edsa Shangri-La in Mandaluyong. They will hold practice at the hotel’s outdoor courts, although organizers are still looking for other venues.

The IPTL, a one-of-a-kind tourney that will pit four teams made up of current and past superstars using a new format, will be held starting Nov. 28 to 30 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ticket sales, originally set to begin Aug. 15, was moved to Aug. 20, according to IPTL founder Mahesh Bhupati.

Sharapova, in earlier pronouncements, said she is excited to visit the Philippines for the first time. In 2011, the five-time Grand Slam champion hired former PH top player Cecil Mamiit as her hitting partner.

Filipino ace Treat Huey will make sure the local crowd won’t be mere spectators as he will also suit up for the Mavericks along with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kirsten Flipkens, Carlos Moya and Daniel Nestor.

IPTL chief operating officer Eric Gottschalk earlier said Serena William (Singapore Lions) and Ana Ivanovic (Indian Aces) will also see action in the Manila leg.

After the kick-off leg, the tennis stars fly to Singapore for the second event set Dec. 2-4 then proceed to Mumbai for the Dec. 6-8 matches and Dubai for the Dec. 11-13 final stop. Champions will be determined by cumulative points earned every won match.