India Open quarter-finals: Angga Pratama, Agung Saputra shine against Kien Keat, Boon Heong
Men’s Doubles team Angga Pratama-Ryan Agung Saputra of Indonesia continued their successful run in Yonex Sunrise India Open and overpowered Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in quarter-final match on April 27, 2012.
The duo of Angga Pratama-Agung Saputra, who was underdog earlier in this event, stunned their higher ranked opponents in the 57-minute tussle.
They showed determination against World Number eight pair and marched into semi-finals with favourable results of 21-18, 15-21 and 21-19.
In opening game of the match, both teams exhibited prime badminton skills and did not allow each other to establish a comfortable lead until last moment.
They were locked at 8-8 initially but the Malaysians earned some quick points to raise their total to 11 before the interval.
After one-minute break, the Indonesian couple launched swift attack and placed a decent total of 13-12. They left their challengers behind with some uninterrupted rallies and bagged first match point with 21-18 score on the board.
The following game was full of drama as at one stage it looked like the twosome of Angga Pratama and Agung Saputra will wrap the show in straight sets but the last segment of second set was completely dominated by the Malaysians.
Kien Keat and Boon Heong, who were also ranked six in the tournament, were a little sluggish in the start as they were trailing behind their low ranked rivals but they woke up in time and struck hard when it mattered.
They accelerated their pace in second half of the set after 11-10 and added four consecutive points in their total. The Indonesians narrowed the gap by reaching at 13-15 but the tussle ended in Malaysia’s favour with a decisive margin of 21-15.
This 1-1 match score position made the decider crucial and both teams stretched hard to exceed their opposition. They took the game to next level and made the spectators gasp with their mesmerising performance.
First half of the set ended with Kien Keat-Boon Heong having slight edge of one point in 11-10 total but later part of the game belonged to Angga Pratama and Agung Saputra who sealed the victory with a tight yet decisive margin of 21-19.
Now the World Number 16 Indonesian pair will test their skills against Thai couple Bodin Issara-Maneepong Jongjit in semi-finals of India Open.
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