Markis Kido, Pia Zebadiah pave path to Mixed Doubles finals - Vietnam Open Update
Indonesia’s Mixed Doubles team Markis Kido-Pia Zebadiah Bernadeth remained invincible in semi-finals round of Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open GP and qualified for the title match on August 25, 2012.
The scratch pair, which was underrated earlier in this event, overpowered Jian Guo Ong-Yin Loo Lim in a hard fought 50-minute battle.
This crucial encounter remained in full swing for three exhausting sets and both contenders put all they had to read final figures of 10-21, 21-15 and 21-18.
There was lot of drama in this semi-final showdown as at one stage the Malaysian team was in a strong position to finish the match in a favourable manner. However, Markis Kido and Pia Zebadiah showed strong character despite of the first set loss.
The Indonesian couple looked off colour in the opening game as they hardly put any resistance and let this vital point slip from their hands.
First sign of trouble came when Jian Guo and Yin Loo ruled the court straight away in the beginning and established an unassailable lead with some back-to-back rallies.
They did not lose this rhythm even after the interval and widened the gap with a couple of successive points which ultimately resulted in a favourable margin of 21-10.
Markis Kido and Pia Zebadiah woke up after this severe blow and put all in their possession to stay in the contest.
Though, they were bit cautious in start but then a series of well placed strokes helped them to restore their confidence.
They showed transformed character in pressure situation and established their grip with score position of 11 before interval.
After mid-game break, they were everywhere on the court as they did not miss any shot and smacked their challengers with an overwhelming total of 21-15.
This development made the third set consequential as both teams were just one step away from the final round of this Grand Prix event.
They remained toe-to-toe in most part of the game and neither could make a notable difference until the final moments.
This nerve-racking contest ended when the Indonesian campaigners piled up concluding result of 21-18 and setup a title encounter with Aik Quan Tan-Pei Jing Lai of Malaysia.
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