Brandon, Ruben emerge as champions in Boy’s Doubles Under-17 event of MBBC Jr. International
The twosome of Brandon Alvarado and Ruben Castellanos continued with their top form and remained invincible in title match of Boy’s Doubles Under-17 category in MBBC Jr. International on July 18, 2012.
They toppled Cory Fanus-Sabeel Foster with concluding figures of 23-21 and 21-14 in just two games.
This final encounter was played at local badminton court in Manhattan Beach, California and both contenders entertained the crowd with commendable show of skills.
The Guatemala shuttlers claimed the crown by registering a splendid straight-set victory as the opposing team could not pocket even a single match point.
Brandon and Ruben, who were placed at fourth position in tournament ranking, had a cautious start and trailed behind in a couple of opening rallies.
However, they gained confidence with some consecutive points and matched their rivals’ skills throughout this crucial game.
They gathered three points immediately after 4-5 and then maintained this slight edge until half time.
The top seeded duo Cory-Sabeel strived hard to gain a comfortable lead but they could not hit the mark until 10-11 before the interval.
After mid-game break, both contenders made every effort to leave their opponents far behind in this race for glory but neither could make a notable difference all the way to final stage.
Though, Brandon-Ruben mounted pressure by reaching at dominating position of 15-12 but their supremacy was short lived as their competitors counterbalanced the situation with four uninterrupted rallies.
The opening set kept swinging between both teams who played three extra game points to wrap this part of battle in a favourable manner.
Finally, the Guatemala campaigners finished this nerve-racking set with a tight yet decisive margin of 23-21.
This 1-0 lead in match score position restored their self-confidence and they entered the second set in high spirits.
In the first half of the decider, they could not gain a comfortable advantage as their challengers Cory and Sabeel put all they had to avoid a straight-set defeat.
However, Brandon-Ruben employed unbeatable tactics in second half and earned right to be on top of the victory stand. They finished this tussle with a significant total of 21-14.
Tags: