India Open 2012: Tarun Kona, Ashwini Ponnappa dance their way to second round
Mixed Doubles team Tarun Kona-Ashwini Ponnappa of India trod into second round of Yonex Sunrise India Open after edging Muhammad Rijal-Debby Susanto in first round on April 25, 2012.
The first round match was certainly a tough trial for both teams as they had to consume their energy for 49 minutes to read final results of 20-22, 21-18 and 22-20.
Mixed Doubles partners Ashwini and Tarun will now face Japanese pair Shoji Sato-Shizuka Matsuo in pre quarter-finals of the event.
In their opening match, the Indonesian campaigners had to face double trouble as they were not only dealing with spirited challengers but also with a crowd who was there to support the home town favourites.
However, Muhammad Rijal-Debby Susanto stood full to their stature in this nerve-racking tussle and walked tall despite of crashing out of the event.
The first set was just a curtain raiser to a splendid show of skills from both teams in the next games. They made the crowd gasp with their staggering performance.
In the beginning, Indonesians were leading 8-3 but their competitors caught them at 9-9. However, they managed to establish a two-point advantage until half-time.
After the interval, Indians added five consecutive points in no time and created pressure but the twosome of Rijal and Debby finished opening game with a tight yet decisive margin of 22-20.
The following game saw the natives storming back into the match by avoiding a straight-set defeat.
Ashwini and Tarun gained a comfortable four-point lead in first half of the set but they committed some mistakes which allowed their challengers to place a decent total of 14 points.
However, the Indians accelerated their pace in later half of the set as they first clinched five back-to-back points and then finished the race with a favourable margin of 21-18.
There was a lot of drama in third and final segment of the show which kept the spectators glued to their chairs.
Both teams sweat hard to avoid a woeful exit and remained close until game point situation but hosting team struck hard when it mattered and stole the show with scoreboard flashing a concluding figure of 22-20.
Tags: