MANILA, Philippines – Singapore, New Delhi and Dubai will have a tough act to follow as Manila has set a high standard as a host city in the inaugural season of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), founder Mahesh Bhupathi said Sunday night.

The first leg of the IPTL concluded Sunday night at the SM Mall of Asia Arena with a sizable crowd cheering on the Manila Mavericks after they defeated the Singapore Slammers for their first win in three days.

All four teams – the Mavericks, the Slammers, the UAE Royals and the league-leading Indian Aces – have said nothing but appreciative words about the MOA Arena crowd, which grew in numbers every day and treated the tennis players like superstars.

“Tennis players are in some form entertainers,” said Bhupathi. “And when entertainers come out to play, you want to play to packed stands. Yesterday and today was electrifying.”

The players, many of whom were playing in Manila for the first time, repeatedly expressed their amazement and appreciation for the energy of the fans.

“If you look at the amount of people who showed up here, (it’s) unbelievable support. From Friday all the way through to Sunday, you know it shows that people here love tennis,” said Andy Murray, who played for the Manila Mavericks and capped the leg with a thrilling win over Nick Kyrgios of the Slammers.

“It’s been amazing crowds every day, and they’ve been really great supporters,” said world No. 5 Ana Ivanovic, who from the first day until the last was the darling of the crowd.

Frenchman Gael Monfils, who gained a lot of Filipino fans thanks to his explosive play for the Indian Aces and his sensational hip-hop dancing in between sets, appreciated how “into it” the fans were.

“It’s good, it’s my first time in the Philippines and I think they have been great and unbelievable,” he said.

Doubles specialist Sania Mirza on Saturday said that Manila “put up a very high standard for the other cities to follow.”

And Serena Williams, who played only on the final day, was surprised yet delighted by the reaction she got.

“The reception was amazing,” said Williams, who won her women’s singles set against Kirsten Flipkens. “Everyone was so nice. I mean, just walking out to warm up, and hearing the crowd was really spectacular and unexpected.”

The IPTL moves to Singapore for the second leg, to be followed by New Delhi, and then Dubai.

“Unfortunately for us, the bar has been set very high here in Manila,” Bhupathi said with a smile. “So it’s going to be hard to beat.”

Bhupathi is optimistic that the league will get similarly strong receptions in the other host cities, however, especially in New Delhi where Roger Federer is set to play.

“We have the Roger Federer effect in Delhi, and the stadium there is much bigger. It’s 18,500 in Delhi, so if we can sell that out, I think we might have to blow the roof off the top,” said Bhupathi.