2012 National Circuit GP Finals: Yang Li beats Sonia Cheah in Women’s Singles group stage
Malaysia’s talented female shuttler Yang Li Lian registered her presence in the Maybank National Circuit Grand Prix Finals after thrashing Sonia Cheah Su Ya in group stage on December 27, 2012.
This Women’s Singles Group A match proved real test for both contenders as it prolonged to three exhausting sets before ending with 16-21, 26-24 and 21-16.
Yang Li, who was underrated earlier in this tournament, performed exceptionally well and locked the honour by winning ending two games.
On the other hand, Sonia could not capitalise her first set win and knelt down tamely in the crucial moments.
In the opening game, the third seeded shuttler unleashed a flurry of power packed strokes and established an unassailable lead immediately in the beginning. She played flawless badminton and strengthened her grip before the announcement of break.
After the one-minute interval, Sonia bagged many valuable points without any interruption and left her challenger far behind.
She kept on moving forward at steady pace and this unbeatable run ultimately resulted in her victory. She swept the table with an impressive result of 21-16.
However, it was her last success in this contest as Yang Li stormed back with a strong reply and counterbalanced the situation.
This time she started with a positive attitude and built a significant lead in no time. She did not lose focus in the establishing rallies and pushed her competitor on back foot with a staggering knock.
Though, Yang Li finished first half of the set with a three-point deficit but then couple of productive rallies helped her to tip the scale in her favour.
She maintained a decent lead until game point situation and won this set with a tight yet decisive figure of 26-24.
Third set kept swinging between both compatriot shuttlers all the way to final moments. Initially, Yang Li prevailed in six consecutive rallies and this power packed campaign helped her to pile up a mountainous total of 11.
After the mid-game break, Sonia showed some spark but it was not enough to avoid a woeful defeat. She surrendered after reading 16-21 score.
Now Yang Li will lock horns with Tee Jing Yi in her next group match of Maybank National Circuit Grand Prix Finals.
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