2012 Macau Open: Tontowi Ahmad, Liliyana Natsir proceed to Mixed Doubles title match
Indonesia’s Mixed Doubles team Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir stretched their winning streak in the Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix Gold and took the country to the final round on December 1, 2012.
World Number two duo played impeccable badminton and outclassed Jiaming Tao-Tang Jinhua with an impressive result of 21-18 and 21-18.
Tontowi and Liliyana took just 33 minutes to seal a splendid straight-set victory and qualified for the title match of this GP Gold event.
They were bit sluggish in the beginning of the first set and allowed their challengers to gain an early advantage with a 3-0 total.
The twosome of Jiaming and Tang made the best out of this initial lead and widened the gap by putting 8-4 margin on the board.
Both Chinese campaigners did not lose focus in the next couple of rallies and managed to finish the first half of the set with a favourable score position. They bagged some back-to-back valuable points and registered a decent figure of 11-8.
However, things were not that easy for them after the mid-game break as the opposing team stormed back with a strong reply and counter-balanced the situation.
Tontowi and Liliyana, who is top seeded team of this tournament, prevailed in few consecutive rallies and put their competitors under huge pressure.
The Indonesian shuttlers forged a fruitful chemistry and established a respectable lead with 16-13. They maintained that difference all the way to game point situation and won this set with 21-18 margin.
Next game was also played in similar fashion as both pairs made every effort to oust the opponent in this crucial game.
Initially, the Chinese players showed some spark and enjoyed the upper hand but then their superior challengers kept them at the lower end.
Tontowi and Liliyana started the beating after 4-2 and placed a mountainous figure of 9-5 in no time.
They kept on playing with an authoritative approach and raised their chances with 16-10 score in third quarter of the set. Both partners capitalised this advantage and swept the table with a staggering knock of 21-18.
Now Tontowi and Liliyana will test their skills against the compatriot duo Muhammad Rijal-Debby Susanto in the final round.
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