Hoon Thien, Tan Wee excel in group stage of 2012 National Circuit Grand Prix Finals
Men’s Doubles partners Hoon Thien How and Tan Wee Kiong forged fruitful chemistry in their opening match in Maybank National Circuit Grand Prix Finals and stamped Darren Isaac A/L Deva Dass-Tai An Khang on December 27, 2012.
This epic tussle took place in local badminton arena of Alor Setar, Malaysia and both compatriot teams made the crowd gasp while piling final figures of 21-19, 14-21 and 21-18.
The victorious duo remained successful in the opening and ending sets whereas the other Malaysian couple could register its presence only in the second set.
In first set of the match, Hoon Thien and Tan Wee displayed commendable fighting spirit and claimed this valuable match point.
They took some time to read their rivals’ strategy but then never lost the grip after getting into commanding position.
They ruled the court after few establishing rallies and established a decent lead with figure of five. This early advantage proved a real boost for them as they finished first half of the set with a favourable score position.
The latter part of game proved a dead contest as Darren Isaac-Tai An hardly put any resistance and surrendered after reading 19-21 margin.
Next set completely changed the scenario as the suppressed duo of previous game showed a transformed character and managed to avoid a straight-set defeat.
This time Darren Isaac and Tai An played with great control to confound their challengers. They started with a cautious approach and allowed the opposing team to enjoy an upper hand until 5-11.
However, they did not remain at lower end permanently and tipped the scale in their favour immediately after the break.
At first, they bagged five consecutive points and narrowed the gap on points table and then gained a notable advantage with 17-12 total.
Darren Isaac and Tai An carried this flow until game point situation and finished this segment with an impressive result of 21-14.
The decider became consequential as both teams were looking to pocket this final match point. They chased each other until final moments and this cliff-hanging tussle ended when Hoon Thien and Tan Wee registered a winning margin of 21-18.
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