Badminton Asia Championships 2012: Lee Sheng, Yu Chin eclipse Hanbin, Yixin in first round
It was a dramatic start of Mixed Doubles draw of Badminton Asia Championships as the Taipei couple Lee Sheng Mu-Chien Yu Chin ousted strong contenders He Hanbin-Bao Yixin of China in first round on April 18, 2012.
The lower ranked pair of Lee Sheng and Yu Chin marched into second round by sealing splendid victory against World Number 14 couple He Hanbin-Bao Yixin with final figures of 21-15, 17-21 and 21-18.
Both teams displayed prime badminton skills throughout the 55-minute tussle and their brilliance was applauded by the audience.
In opening game of match, the World Number 24 duo Lee Sheng-Yu Chin launched a swift attack and buried their rivals by playing superior badminton.
Taipei shuttlers established a three-point lead and placed 7-4 score within few minutes. They raised their lead to 12-6 until the mid-game break.
After the interval, the other contestants He Hanbin and Bao Yixin tried to match their rivals’ speed by scoring few quick points but they could not go with same flow and trailed behind all the way to game point.
The first set belonged to partnership of Lee Sheng and Yu Chin with a notable margin of 21-15.
However, the Chinese registered their class in following game and managed to stay in the match by clinching second match point.
National number three duo He Hanbin-Bao Yixin played attacking badminton from the start and snatched six important points but their opponents caught them at 8-8 score position.
The Chinese picked up the speed to reinstate their supremacy and managed to stay two points ahead before the one-minute break.
They stayed in commanding position in the second half and bagged the crucial set with scoreboard flashing 21-17 score in their favour.
The 1-1 match score position locked them in a tight situation and third set turned into survival of the fittest.
Both teams sweat hard to avoid an early exit and made the spectators gasp by standing equal until 16-16 scores but losing four consecutive points in this crucial situation turned the final blow for the Chinese.
The Taipei couple of Lee Sheng-Yu Chen won the match with a 21-18 score and reserved a spot in pre quarter-finals of Badminton Asia Championships.
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