(Top) Biljana, the girlfriend of Tipsarevic, and Carolina, Moya’s girlfriend, in Chennai

Chennai, Jan. 5: Tipsarevic triumphed but it was the Twags who conquered.

Twags, as in Tennis wives and girlfriends.

As Serbian Janko Tipsarevic weathered Spaniard and crowd favourite Carlos Moya’s challenge in yesterday’s opening match of the Chennai Open, two “ravishing lookers” in the players’ box chewed their fingernails.

At times they whispered a silent prayer, but more often they applauded. And sometimes, Carolina Cerezuella and Biljana Sesevic even swore under their breath, depending on who — Moya or Tipsarevic — won the point.

“I came to Chennai as Moya loves this city as much as the people here love him,” Carolina said after the match, no longer tense.

But for some older men at the Nungambakkam stadium yesterday, chewing nails or swearing under the breath had probably never looked so stunning.

“Female partners have accompanied players in the past, but I have not seen such a bevy of beauties like this time. Carolina, Biljana and top seed Robin Soderling’s girlfriend Jenni Modstrom are ravishing lookers by any scale,” said an ATP official.

Football fans at match grounds are used to seeing Wags, an acronym used particularly by the British media to describe the wives and girlfriends of high-profile players, originally the England national team.

One of the most prominent among them has been David Beckham’s wife Victoria, whom the Sunday Times described as “the original Wag”.

But Indian tennis fans have, of late, hardly had reason to wag their head — or tongues — since the days when Leander Paes used to come with actress Mahima Chaudhry and Mahesh Bhupathi with model Shwetha Jaishankar.

None of the Indian boys brought their girlfriends along at this year’s ATP event.

Carolina had stepped into Moya’s life after the former world No. 1 broke up with Italian tennis star Flavia Pennetta.

The blonde beauty moved from theatre to television and has been a key actor in at least two Spanish soaps. In one, Hospital Central, she plays a lesbian psychiatrist.

“I am sad he lost in the first round but he is coming back from injury and he should improve,” she said in broken English.

Two-time champion Moya, returning after a 10-month injury lay-off, lost 3-6, 6-7 (2-7) and bowed out of the $450,000 ATP Tour event even as the crowd cheered him on.

Biljana, who used to host an entertainment show on a Serbian channel, talked about life as a “tennis professional’s partner”.

“It isn’t easy because of the travelling,” she said. “I have now given up on my TV career and deal in luxury yachts.”

About the specs her boyfriend wore, she revealed they were prescription glasses and not a style statement. “His eyesight is not so good,” she said.

What about the man? Extremely philosophical, was the reply. “Though he trains hard for every tournament and puts in his best, I’ve not seen anyone taking defeat so easily as Tips does. He is back to his humorous self in a jiffy.”

The two are planning to tie the knot this summer.

Soderling’s partner Jenni, a PR student, is a first-time visitor to this part of the world. “I am waiting to soak in the sun on your beaches,” she said.

A beach resort in Mahabalipuram beckons her.

Asked if travelling girlfriends were an inspiration or a distraction, Biljana laughed. “Depends on the player and the girl,” she said.

As for the crowd, they didn’t seem to mind at all — if the furtive glances were any indication.