Fran Kurniawan, Puspa Irawati in second round of Mixed Doubles event – Thailand Open Update
Indonesia’s Mixed Doubles team Fran Kurniawan-Shendy Puspa Irawati marched into second round of the SCG Thailand Open by edging Maneepong Jongjit-Savitree Amitrapai in opening match on June 6, 2012.
They consumed their energies for 41 minutes to put favourable result of 12-21, 21-11 and 16-21 on the board.
Now their next challenge will be to surpass another local pair Thitipong Lapoe-Peeraya Munkitamorn and a win will take them into the quarter-finals of the event.
The twosome of Fran Kurniawan and Puspa Irawati faced many rise and fall situations in this contest as they prevailed in start, failed in the middle and then served notice of their supremacy near the end.
On the other hand, the Thai pair could not relish the benefit of home ground and disappointed the local crowd by losing a crucial match.
In the opening game, the Indonesians were slow but steady in snatching valuable points from higher ranked opponents.
They started the ball rolling by entering 3-0 margin and then established a comfortable lead by reaching at 11-7 before the one-minute break.
After the interval, they raised their total to 15 by collecting four consecutive points. This difference was never covered by their challengers and Fran Kurniawan-Puspa Irawati ended first chapter of their victory saga with a distinctive figure of 21-12.
However, Maneepong Jongjit and Savitree Amitrapai showed a transformed character in following set as they outclassed their challengers in all areas of the game.
The third seeded duo of tournament employed all the brilliance to ensure their presence in the contest. This time they did not wait for the right moment and launched a swift attack in first half.
Though, the opposing team tried to step forward with couple of power packed rallies but the local pair came in the way and put their expedition to halt.
Maneepong and Savitree Amitrapai formed a mountainous total of 11-7 before one-minute break.
In later part, they pocketed 10 out of last 14 points and levelled the match score with a significant margin of 21-11.
The decider proved to be a survival of the fittest war as both teams put all they had to avoid a woeful exit but ultimately luck favoured Fran Kurniawan-Puspa Irawati. The team stole the limelight with 21-16 score on the board.
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