Chan Peng Soon, Goh Liu Ying ensure their presence in quarter-final round – Hong Kong Open Update
Mixed Doubles partners Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying of Malaysia stretched their winning streak in the Yonex Sunrise Hong Kong Open and qualified for round of eight on November 22, 2012.
They intercepted Sergey Lunev-Evgenia Dimova by registering an impressive result of 21-18 and 21-18 in the pre quarter-final round.
Though, this second round match lasted for just two games but still local badminton lovers were entertained with a splendid show of skills.
Both teams earned great deal of respect for putting an honest effort which kept the audience intact until last shot was played.
They matched each other in all areas of the game but this nerve-racking battle ended in Malaysia’s favour.
World Number three partnership looked at its best as both shuttlers showed a superb coordination and sealed a straight-set win.
The twosome of Peng Soon and Liu Ying laid foundation of its dominance immediately in the opening game and maintained that upper hand all the way to final moments.
They made their intentions clear by putting an indomitable total of seven in no time and put their challengers under huge pressure by registering 11-8 margin at the half time.
After the one-minute interval, both contenders made every effort to oust the opponent but neither of them could maintain a permanent lead.
The game kept swinging between them as both pairs were not ready to surrender and they put all in their possession to pocket opening match point.
In third quarter of the set, Sergey Lunev and Evgenia Dimova made a swift progress and levelled the score at 14-14.
However, the Malaysian shuttlers proved their worth when it mattered and swept the table with a respectable total of 21-18.
The second set of match was also played in similar fashion as the Russian campaigners failed to end their bad patch and received a severe blow of 2-0 defeat.
Meanwhile, Peng Soon and Liu Ying showed an elevated craft and stole the limelight with a lustrous performance.
They played with a cautious approach in the beginning and this resulted into a tight margin of 8-8. They looked bit confused at this stage and dropped many valuable points due to lack of coordination.
Next couple of rallies saw them making some consecutive mistakes and finishing first half of the set with 9-11 score.
After the mid-game break, they geared up themselves and started making steady progress. They made a notable difference with a few back-to-back productive rallies and left their rivals far behind with a staggering knock of 21-18.
This win took them into the quarter-finals and most of the critics are giving them better odds to secure a berth in the final rounds of this Super Series.
However, Peng Soon and Liu Ying will have to show consistency to reserve a spot in top teams of this esteemed tournament.
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