Singapore Open 2012: Hung Ling, Wen Hsing fly Taipei flag in Mixed Doubles event
Mixed Doubles experts Chen Hung Ling-Cheng Wen Hsing of Chinese Taipei raised country’s flag in Li Ning Singapore Open after stunning Shintaro Ikeda and Reiko Shiota in the final match on June 24, 2012.
World Number five duo seized the honour in just two games by registering decisive figures of 21-17 and 21-11.
Though, the losing side put a decent fight in 39-minute battle but they could not match the class of prime Taipei pair and ultimately faced a straight-set defeat.
There was a decent crowd in Singapore Indoor Stadium despite of the absence of local teams in final round of this Super Series event.
Both finalists strived hard to lock the honour and they earned great deal of admiration for a fine show of badminton skills.
This battle heated up in very first segment as both contenders put all they got to gain an immediate advantage.
They remained toe-to-toe until third quarter of first set but then Wen Hsing and Hung Ling made difference with their superb coordination.
The Taipei shuttlers had a slow start as they remained low in opening rallies but they geared up themselves and caught their rivals at 6-6.
They maintained same momentum throughout first half of the set and placed a respectable total of 11-9 before one-minute break.
Later part of the set saw them raising their total to a dominating position of 14-10 but they lost focus at this critical stage which resulted in tight margin of 17-16.
However, they reinstated their dominance with three consecutive points and bagged opening game with 21-17 score on the board.
In second set, the World number 11 Japanese duo tried to rise on their toes by employing all their brilliance but their competitors’ determination proved too much for them.
The twosome of Shintaro Ikeda and Reiko Shiota showed some spark in the beginning as they remained close until 6-6 margin.
First sign of trouble came when Wen Hsing-Hung Ling snatched five valuable points in a row to put a formidable figure of 11-6 before the break.
They doubled the impact in second half of the set and sealed a splendid win with a notable lead in 21-11 total.
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