2012 Vietnam Open: Fran Kurniawan, Puspa Irawati power their way to Mixed Doubles quarter-finals
Indonesia’s Fran Kurniawan-Shendy Puspa Irawati overwhelmed Patipat Chalardchaleam-Jongkonphan Kittiharakul and secured a berth in the quarter-finals of Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open GP on August 23, 2012.
This second round encounter remained in full swing for 43 minutes before ending with final figures of 21-18, 12-21 and 21-15.
The third seeded pair proved their class in the opening and closing segments of the battle and earned the right to be in the round of eight.
Meanwhile, the lower ranked Thai couple failed to rise in most part of the game and crashed out of this Grand Prix event.
Now the victorious Indonesian team will lock horns with compatriot campaigners Riky Widianto and Puspita Richi Dili in the quarter-final clash.
World Number 28 pair Fran Kurniawan-Puspa Irawati will surely utilise their confidence which they have earned through an unbeatable run in this tournament.
In pre quarter-final round, they started their campaign in perfect manner and snatched the opening match point with distinction.
They made their intentions clear by grabbing a couple of consecutive points straight away in the beginning. They mounted pressure by gaining a slight edge before interval and then doubled the impact by registering a decisive margin of 21-18.
The twosome of Patipat and Jongkonphan did not lose nerve after this immediate blow and managed to stand full to their stature in the very next game.
This time they played with the right attitude and fortitude to avoid a straight-set defeat and finished second set with a notable difference of ten points.
In first half, they laid the foundation of their dominance by prevailing in a few uninterrupted rallies and then strengthened their grip by adding valuable points in the total.
Later part of the game saw them in prime touch as they completely outclassed their rivals and bagged second set with 21-12 score on the board.
The decider was supposed to be a challenging task for both contenders but it proved dead contest after the one-minute interval.
Both teams remained toe-to-toe in the beginning and did not allow each other to gain a permanent lead. However, after mid-game break Fran and Puspa showed superb coordination and stole the limelight with 21-15 total.
Tags: