Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao clinch Women’s Doubles title at Maldives International
Japan’s Naoko Fukuman and Kurumi Yonao surprised everyone as they wrapped up Women’s Doubles title after stunning their higher ranked team-mates Eto Rie and Yu Wakita in the title match of Maldives International Badminton Challenge 2012 on Sunday, June 3,
in Maldives.
Naoko and Kurumi, who were un-seeded players in the tournament, showed tremendous skills and defied all odds to claim the title after thrashing Eto and Yu who were top seeds in the Women’s Singles draw.
The un-seeded Japanese shuttlers put up thrashing show of and remained successful in beating the heavy favourites and top seeded opponents with a dramatic margin on the score-board.
On the other hand, the top seeded Eto and Yu played to their maximum potential but remained unlucky at the ending points and lost to their lower ranked team-mates with a tight margin on the score-board.
In the first set, both pairs put up tremendous show and remained successful in maintaining the pace of rallies at the highest level. They remained toe-to-toe until the end of opening half of first game.
After the break, the lower ranked Naoko and Kurumi showed their positive and confident performance and wrapped up the opening set with a remarkable 21-18 score on the board.
In the following game, the higher ranked Eto and Yu showed their brilliance by playing attacking badminton. They did not face any problem from their lower ranked opponents this time and took an impressive lead until the one-minute break.
After the interval, Naoko and Kurumi elevated their play but not enough to dictate the pace of rallies. They remained struggling in the court and lose the set with a one-sided margin of 13-21.
In the final set, both sides played to their full speed and also employed all of their skills to take a reasonable lead but failed to create any gap on the score board until the one-minute interval.
After the break, both pairs continued playing remarkable badminton until the score reached at 21-21 when Naoko and Kurumi played impressive game and took the set with a dramatic score of 23-21.
Naoko and Kurumi won this title battle in 65 minutes with a 21-18, 13-21 and 23-21 score on the board.
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