Robin Middleton and He Tian Tang emerge victorious at Victorian International – Badminton news
Australia’s upcoming players, Robin Middleton and He Tian Tang, surprised everyone when they put up spectacular show of top class badminton and won the Mixed Doubles title at the 2013 Li Ning Victorian International on Sunday, June 30, in Australia.
In the title fight, the un-seeded Robin and He Tian played to their maximum potential and overpowered their higher ranked compatriots, Ross Smith and Renuga Veeran, in a thrilling fight that took 55 minutes of top class badminton from both sides.
The lower ranked Robin and He Tian, who entered into this championship as qualifiers, played with control and precision in all matches and maintained their rhythm in the final as well. They outplayed the second seeded Ross and Renuga in a superb rubber-set contest with a 21-19, 19-21 and 21-19 score on the board.
Meanwhile, the higher ranked Ross and Renuga tried their level best to dominate the pace but they could not cope up with the mounting pressure at crucial stages. They played well but could not stop their rivals’ progress in the final encounter and lost the match with a reasonable score.
In the opening set, both duos employed their best skills to set up an early lead but none of them could manage it. They progressed equally and stayed close until the end of first half.
After the break, both sides again locked their horns in an aggressive manner. However, Robin and He Tian showed their brilliance in ending points and won the set with a tight score of 21-19.
In the following set, the tempo of the rallies remained fast and both sides played attacking and positive badminton until the mid-game break.
After the interval, Robin and He Tian tried to set up lead but failed to push their rivals on back foot. They also committed a few errors and eventually lost the set with a close margin of 19-21.
In the deciding set, the match became thrilling and the crowd could not have asked for a better contest. They played tremendous badminton in the opening half and stayed close.
After the break, Robin and He Tian changed their tactics at net and managed to put pressure on their higher ranked opponents. They controlled their nerves all the way and won the final set with a narrow different of 21-19.
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