2012 Australian Closed Championships: Luke Chong, Ann Louise Slee secure berth in pre quarter-finals
Mixed Doubles team Luke Chong-Ann Louise Slee pocketed full benefits of a first round bye and locked a seat in the pre quarter-finals of Australian Closed Championships Sydney on August 29, 2012.
They stamped Eddie Hung-Jessica Lim in a second round encounter which prolonged for 39 minutes before ending with 21-18, 19-21 and 23-21.
They served notice of their supremacy in the opening and closing games of the match while the opposing team could rise only in the second set.
However, Eddie and Jessica still earned great respect for putting a laudable effort throughout this showdown.
The battle heated up straight away in the opening game as both teams made every effort to gain an early advantage in match score position.
This segment was filled with great sensation as both pairs could establish a comfortable lead and kept chasing each other all the way to game point situation.
In the first half of the set, Luke and Ann mounted pressure by grabbing a couple of valuable points in a row as their supremacy was short lived as the opposing team counter-balanced the situation just before the break.
The twosome of Eddie and Jessica raised their lead in third quarter of the set but their expedition was put to halt by their rivals who finished the opening game with a favourable score of 21-18.
However, they did not remain at the lower end permanently and rose from the dust in the very next game.
Though, second set was also played with great intensity but this time they matched their challenger’s moves on the court and saved some honour.
They started their campaign by prevailing in a couple of successive rallies and maintained this slight edge despite losing a few points in crucial moments. They brought the contest to the right balance by registering a tight yet decisive figure of 21-19.
The best part of the battle was yet to come as both teams made the crowd gasp with their breath-taking performance in the third set.
They kept on chasing each other until last shot was played and this nerve-racking game ended when Luke and Ann swept the table with 23-21 total.
Now their next challenge is to surpass William Ponsonby-Beth Hollett in the pre quarter-finals of the championships.
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