Hiroyuki Endo, Kenichi Hayakawa topple Howard Bach-Tony Gunawan in semi-finals of US Open 2012
Men’s Doubles event of Yonex OCBC US Open GPG got its first finalist when Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa beat Howard Bach-Tony Gunawan in the semi-finals on July 6, 2012.
This second last round fight remained in full swing for 35 minutes and concluded with 21-19 and 21-14 score on the board.
The top seeded Japanese duo proved their class by wrapping the show in just two segments while the local team could not rise throughout this crucial encounter and crashed out of the home event.
Hiroyuki and Kenichi played with great precision and setup a title match with compatriot couple Yoshiteru Hirobe-Kenta Kazuno.
Earlier, World Number 12 pair had to face strong resistance in the first set of the semi-final match but they survived that nerve-racking contest in splendid manner.
They had a slow start which resulted in 3-6 total but they accelerated their pace and caught their rivals with three consecutive rallies.
Meanwhile, the US shuttlers made strong bids to get back their status and gained a slight edge just before the interval.
However, they blundered and frittered away their efforts by losing three points in a row which brought them down to 9-11.
After one-minute break, Hiroyuki and Kenichi strengthened their grip with a power packed campaign.
They managed to place a respectable total of 15 in the third quarter of the set but then the lack of focus struck at the foundation of their supremacy.
Though, the Japanese struggled in the final phase they managed to end the opening game of the match with favourable figure of 21-19.
The twosome of Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan started the following set at top gear and swiftly registered a 4-1 margin.
Their supporters were expecting them to make amends in this crucial segment and they made every effort to live up to expectations.
They remained at the top end in most part of the first half but it was not enough to keep the opposing team permanently grounded.
Hiroyuki and Kenichi started moving forward just before half time and cruised to victory at a steady pace.
They finished the first half 11-9 and then served notice of their supremacy with 21-14 score on the board.
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