Hendra Setiawan, Vita Marissa make way in Mixed Doubles quarter-finals – Singapore Open Update
Mixed Doubles campaigners Hendra Setiawan and Vita Marissa stunned He Hanbin-Bao Yixin to earn a spot in quarter-finals of Li Ning Singapore Open on Thursday, June 21, 2012.
This upset match lasted for 45 minutes and was concluded with scoreboard flashing final figures of 17-21, 21-17 and 15-21.
The victorious duo will now take on Japanese pair Shintaro Ikeda-Reiko Shiota to ensure their presence in semi-final round of the Super Series event.
Earlier in second round, they amazed everyone by exhibiting unbeatable craft on court which fetched a splendid win for them.
On the other hand, World Number 12 Chinese duo lost this crucial encounter despite of having an upper hand over lower ranked challengers.
First sign of trouble came when He Hanbin-Bao Yixin failed to register their class which ultimately cost them opening set of the match.
They kept trailing behind from very first shot to the last one and allowed their competitor to clinch a valuable match point with a notable difference.
The Indonesians established their grip by reaching at respectable position of seven straight away in the beginning. They capitalised this initial advantage and finished first half in their favour.
Later part of the game saw the opposing team resisting a bit but three uninterrupted rallies helped Hendra Setiawan and Vita Marissa to finish this race with 21-17 total.
However, next game brought life back into match as the Chinese duo blew away their rivals with a gutsy performance.
This time they trod carefully in start and remained close all way to final stage. They struck hard when it mattered and left their challengers far behind.
In first half, World Number 69 pair Hendra-Vita got into commanding position with 6-1 margin but they could not withstand strong backlash of their opponents and bow down in later part of set.
The twosome of He Hanbin and Bao Yixin stamped their supremacy by entering winning margin of 21-17 in score log.
There was not much action in the decider as both teams were poles apart regarding performance. The Indonesian couple ruled the court after 8-8 and wrapped the show with a respectable figure of 21-15.
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