First round exit for Akshay Dewalkar, Pradnya Gadre from Vietnam International Challenge
The Indian mixed doubles team of Akshay Dewalkar-Pradnya Gadre had to face first round exit from Ciputra Hanoi Vietnam International Challenge on March 28, 2012.
The mixed doubles experts Akshay and Pradnya failed to forge a fruitful chemistry against their rival duo Nova Widianto-Devi Tika Permatasari from Indonesia.
They had to bow down after resisting for 50 minutes as scoreboard was showing final figures 23-21, 17-21 and 15-21 in the end.
First set of the match was curtain raiser of this splendid show as both teams remained toe-to-toe throughout the first game. Both teams took the game to next level and did not allow each other to establish a comfortable lead until the end.
Duo of Akshay and Pradnya showed their class in this nail biting situation and bagged the first match point after ticking tight yet decisive 23-21 score on the board.
Indonesian couple did not get confused with their rivals’ instant lead and bounced back in the next game. The partnership of Nova Widianto-Devi Tika clicked at the right moment and this time they did not give their rivals any loop holes.
Indians could not stop their progress and lost the second set with scoreboard flashing 17-21 in the end.
The decider became a tough trial of their mental and physical strength as both teams were feeling the heat after sweating hard for a 1-1 match score position.
The fourth seeded pair Akshay Dewalkar-Pradnya Gadre, currently ranked 77 in world rankings, tried hard to rise on their toes but their rival stamped them with tactical and technical supremacy. The unseeded pair of Nova Widianto and Devi Tika established
a comfortable lead from the beginning and successfully carried it all the way.
They stole the limelight with their gutsy performance and defeated their rivals by putting up a significant margin of 21-15 on the board.
This loss booked a ticket home for the Indian couple and secured a spot in the pre quarter-finals for the winners who will face the Thai duo of Sermsin Wongyaprom-Serithammarak Artima.
Meanwhile, the other mixed doubles pairs of India Arun Vishnu-Aparna Balan and Pranav Chopra-Prajakta Sawant managed to tread forward in the second round of the event.
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