Koen Ridder, Paulien Van Dooremalen clear first stage of qualifying round – Dutch Open Update
Mixed Doubles experts Koen Ridder and Paulien Van Dooremalen forged a fruitful chemistry in their opening match against Fabian Roth-Jennifer Karnott in Yonex Dutch Open on October 9, 2012.
This qualifying round tussle proved a real test of both team’s mental and physical fitness as it prolonged to 41 minutes before ending with final margin of 17-21, 21-18 and 18-21.
The victorious duo prevailed in the opening and ending games while the opposing team could live its moment of glory only in the middle of the encounter.
With this win, Koen Ridder and Paulien Van marched into second stage where they will be locking horns with compatriot pair Michiel Kruijt-Daisy Bommeleyn.
The Dutch team had a sluggish start in their opening tie as they trailed behind their rivals in the beginning of the first set.
Both pairs stood toe-to-toe until 6-6 but then couple of productive rallies helped Koen Ridder and Paulien Van to establish a decent lead in 11-8 total.
They did not lose focus even after the one-minute interval and strengthened their grip by gathering few back-to-back points in third quarter of the set.
Though, the German duo strived hard to narrow the gap but they had to give up this futile chase after reading 17-21 score on the board.
However, they did not managed to rise from the dust in very next game and saved the match from being a dead contest.
This time Fabian and Jennifer played with the right attitude and fortitude to avoid a straight-set defeat. They set the ball rolling by placing a mountainous total of eight and then capitalised this advantage to end the first half of the set in a favourable
manner.
Later part of the game was full of drama as both teams were locked in a tough competition with 18-18 but Fabian-Jennifer showed strong character and won this crucial set with 21-18 margin.
The decider became consequential as both contenders were hanging by thread to stay alive in the contest. They chased each other all the way to final moments and this competitive tussle ended when Koen Ridder and Paulien Van placed an overwhelming figure
of 21-18.
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