Sang Joon Lee, So Young Kim make way into pre quarter-finals of 2012 Korea Grand Prix Gold
Mixed Doubles partners Sang Joon Lee and So Young Kim showed superb coordination in the opening round of Korea Grand Prix Gold and secured a pre quarter-final berth on December 5, 2012.
They overwhelmed Joe Wu-Ya Lan Chang in a straight-set match which ended with final figures of 21-9 and 23-21.
This short-lived meeting took place in Hwasun-gun, Korea and the victorious duo relished full benefits of home ground and crowd.
The twosome of Sang Joon and So Young looked completely on song as both partners did not show any sign of confusion and locked the honour in a splendid manner.
They established a strong grip over the game by winning first match point and then forged a fruitful chemistry to wrap this showdown in just two games.
Joe Wu and Ya Lan, who belong to New Zealand and Chinese Taipei respectively, were no comparison to their challengers.
They started their campaign with their shoulders low as the opposing team bagged many valuable points in a row.
Later, few back-to-back mistakes doubled the trouble for this newly formed duo and both partners surrendered tamely.
The Korean pair made best out of their competitors’ blunders and established an unassailable lead of 12 points.
This significant advantage helped them all the way to final moments and they finished the first set of the match with an amazing knock of 21-9.
However, the following game was not a one-sided affair and they literally had to earn this crucial match point.
This time the suppressed duo of the previous set showed great fighting spirit and the game kept swinging between both contenders until last shot was played.
The partnership of Joe Wu and Ya Lan was at its best in the beginning as they played their given roles to perfection and gained an immediate advantage.
They had a bad patch just before the mid-game break but then a couple of productive rallies reinstated their supremacy.
In the third quarter of the set, things changed dramatically as the Korean team stormed back with a strong reply and levelled the score.
Sang Joon and So Young revived their lost form and registered a tight yet decisive margin of 23-21.
Now they will be facing Ki Sung Han-Bo Ram Lee in the pre quarter-finals of this GP Gold event.
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