Play it right, and they will come

Singapore

IT WAS just after lunchtime on a blisteringly hot Thursday afternoon, a regular work day, but that didn't stop thousands of people from making their way to the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang. Inside the air-conditioned venue, they were treated to two thrilling, back-to-back matches at the BNP Paribas WTA Finals that went well over three hours, the highlight of which was watching Czech star Petra Kvitova pull off a stunning victory over World No 2 Maria Sharapova.

When I first heard several months back that some of the tournament's 11 sessions would be played in the middle of a weekday afternoon, I admit I was a tad worried that the world's top eight tennis players might have to strut their stuff in front of a barren and quiet arena.