Indonesia’s Tantowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir secure podium berth at 2011 Yonex Chinese Taipei Open
Indonesia’s top shuttlers, Tantowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir secured a podium berth after displaying a superb performance against Korea’s Lee Yong Dae and Ha Jung Eun in the Mixed Doubles semi-final of the 2011 Yonex Chinese Taipei Open, in Chinese Taipei,
on Saturday, September 10.
Tantowi and Liliyana have been playing terrific badminton in the current year. In the Taipei Open, they are ranked as the top seeds in the Mixed Doubles draw and they are progressing in an impressive manner. The Indonesia couple has an extensive experience
of playing in international events and they employed their experience in the semi-final battle against the Korean couple.
Tantowi – Liliyana, who are ranked at Number Three in the Mixed Doubles world rankings, played tremendous game in the semi-final showdown. They showed the highest level of maturity while playing against the Korean opponents and finished off the match in
straight games by taking 31 minutes of court time.
Right from start of the match, the Indonesians controlled the pace of the game by playing fast at the net and from the base line. The impressive low serves of Liliyana and the powerful jump smashes of Tantowi earned them a wonderful advantage over their
opponents who were playing a defensive game. The Indonesians bagged the opening game in just 13 minutes by a 21-12 margin.
The following set was tougher as compared to the opening game. The Koreans started to play a fast game at the net which pushed the higher ranked Indonesian on the back foot. However, Tantowi and Liliyana changed their tactics at the end of the opening half
and got control of the rallies.
The score remained close until the concluding phase of second game. Indonesia’s duo showed their supremacy by playing positive badminton at this crucial stage and won the set by a 21-16 margin in 18 minutes. The Mixed Doubles semi-final battle ended with
the victory of the Indonesians by the score of 21-12 and 21-13.
In the Mixed Doubles final, Tantowi-Liliyana will be up against the winner of the encounter between Fran Kurniawan – Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth of Indonesia and Sung Hyun Ko and Hye Won Eom of Korea.
Tags: