2012 BWF Superseries Finals: A severe blow for Tontowi Ahmad, Liliyana Natsir in group stage
Indonesia’s top Mixed Doubles pair Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir had a horrendous start of BWF Superseries Finals as it lost the opening match against Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam on December 12, 2012.
This encounter was first tie of Group A and both teams remained head-to-head for three gruelling sets before ending this tussle with final figures of 19-21, 21-14 and 21-14.
World Number two duo Tontowi-Liliyana was expected to outshine the Thai campaigners without any trouble but they proved all the predictions wrong by putting a below par performance.
On the other hand, the lower ranked but talented shuttlers Sudket and Saralee amazed everybody by delivering a stunner.
They showed great fighting spirit and survived this hard fought battle despite of going down in first set.
In the opening game, they took some time to read their opponents’ strategy and this sluggishness cost them a vital match point.
Meanwhile, Tontowi and Liliyana played with great precision and managed to win this crucial set.
They played cautiously in the beginning and established a strong grip gradually. They finished first half of the set with a favourable score position of 11 and then swept the table with 21-19 margin.
However, the Indonesian shuttlers failed to go with same flow and knelt down tamely in the following games.
They looked completely off colour in the second set which gave their challengers a golden chance to comeback.
The partnership of Sudket and Saralee ruled the court from very stroke and maintained that upper hand until last shot was played.
They established a respectable lead with 5-0 total and then strengthened their grip by registering an indomitable figure of 11 before the interval.
After the one-minute break, World Number five Thai couple displayed superior finishing skills and bagged this vital match point with 21-14 score on the board.
The decider locked both teams in a tough battle of survival as they were standing equal with one win each.
They stood toe-to-toe until third quarter of the set but then Tontowi-Liliyana gave up this futile chase after reading a decisive margin of 14-21.
With this splendid victory, Sudket and Saralee have alarmed all the contestants of this prestigious tournament.
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