2012 Hong Kong Open: Zhang Nan, Zhao Yunlei remain invincible in Mixed Doubles event
Mixed Doubles team Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei of China stretched their winning streak as they unseated Xu Chen-Ma Jin in the title match of Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open on November 25, 2012.
This game kept both compatriot pairs head-to-head for 47 minutes and it reached to climax with final result of 21-17 and 21-17.
The twosome of Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei performed beyond expectations and sealed a straight-set win whereas the opposing team could not live up to its billing and knelt down tamely.
World Number one duo Xu Chen-Ma Jin, who was expected to have a smooth run to victory, proved all the predictions wrong by putting on a below par performance.
The prime Chinese couple lost grip over the game by losing very first match point and then things became worse in second set of the match.
In the opening game, they took a great start and piled up a decent total of 3-0 in no time. They made some mistakes which ultimately resulted in their defeat.
On the other hand, Zhang and Zhao capitalised their rivals’ blunders and established a respectable lead with 6-4 total.
Both partners played impeccable badminton and registered a favourable margin of 11 before the one-minute break.
After the interval, World Number five Chinese duo lost focus for a short span of time and allowed their challengers to narrow the gap but then few productive rallies reinstated their dominance.
Zhang and Zhao showed superb coordination in the final moments and placed a winning score of 21-17.
There was a lot of drama in the second set as Xu Chen-Ma Jin launched a brisk attack and gained an early advantage.
It was felt the top seeded team of this Super Series will manage to counter-balance the situation but then the opposing duo locked the honour with a staggering knock.
In first half of the set, Xu Chen and Ma Jin made a swift progress and got into commanding position with 7-4 margin.
However, they could not go with the same flow in later part of the game and faced a straight-set defeat.
Zhang and Zhao raised hands as champions after putting 21-17 score on the board.
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