Kien Keat, Boon Heong clear Men’s Doubles quarter-final round in 2012 London Olympics
Men’s Doubles experts Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong saved Malaysia’s honour in quarter-final match against Bodin Issara-Maneepong Jongjit and ensured their presence in top four teams of the London Olympics on August 2, 2012.
This straight-set match was played at court number one of Wembley Arena and the victorious duo placed favourable figures of 21-16 and 21-18.
World Number eight Malaysian pair played impeccable badminton and excelled the lower ranked opponents technically and tactically.
The unseeded Thai duo had no reply to their rival’s unbeatable craft and surrendered tamely in both games.
Kien Keat and Boon Heong set the ball rolling straight away in the beginning of first set when they cornered Bodin-Maneepong with an intensive attack.
They mounted pressure by gathering vital points in a row and then doubled the impact by raising their lead just before the interval. They did not drop this pace and finished first half with a respectable total of 11 on points table.
Their stunning form continued in later part of the game as they confined their challengers in rear court with power packed smashes.
They unleashed flurry of masterly crafted strokes and gained a notable advantage in third quarter of the set.
The Thai duo showed some spark in final stage but it was too late as the opposing team thrashed them with a significant difference in 21-16 margin.
The World Championships silver medallist pair Kien Keat-Boon Heong exhibited superb coordination in second set of the match and locked the honour in a commendable manner.
They established an unassailable lead by dominating in opening rallies and then made best out of this initial advantage with couple of uninterrupted points before the announcement of break.
However, there was lot of drama in later part of the game as both contenders put all they got to achieve their respective goals.
Bodin and Maneepong played their heart out but luck was not on their side as Malaysian campaigners regained their authority and stole limelight with 21-18 score on the board.
Now their next challenge will be to surpass top seeded Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng and win will take them into title match of London Games.
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