Sudket Prapakamol, Saralee Thoungthongkam ensure their presence in second round of 2012 Macau Open
Thailand’s Mixed Doubles team Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam performed according to the expectations and paved their path to pre quarter-finals of Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix Gold on November 28, 2012.
They intercepted Han To Sung-Kim So Young by finishing a 33-minute tussle with an impressive result of 21-13 and 21-19 in the opening round.
This timely win setup their next clash with another Korean duo Shin Baek Choel-Eom Hye Won in the second round of this GP Gold tournament.
The Thai pair, who is second seeded team of this event, established a strong grip over the game in very first set and maintained an upper hand all the way to final moments.
Sudket and Saralee made their intentions clear by launching a brisk attack immediately in the opening game.
In first half of the set, they kept a low profile until 3-3 but then confounded their inexperienced challengers with a fine blend of power packed strokes and deceiving drop net shots.
They got into commanding position with 7-3 total and then mounted the pressure by registering an indomitable figure of 11.
After the one-minute interval, the opposing team showed some spark and created some trouble but Sudket-Saralee counter-balanced the situation with a gutsy knock.
They widened the gap with 17-8 margin and then capitalised this significant lead to pile up a favourable total. They bagged vital points in the final stage and won this crucial set with 21-13 score on the board.
However, following game was not a dead contest like previous one as this time the Korean campaigners put an honest effort and challenged their opponents all the way to game point situation.
To Sung and So Young showed superb coordination and remained close on the points table until 5-5.
At this stage, the Thai shuttlers employed interesting tactics and managed to make a notable difference before the interval. They placed a convincing figure of 11 and then doubled their lead in third quarter of the set.
Sudket and Saralee played with great conviction in a pressure situation and locked the honour with distinction. They tipped the scale in their favour with 21-19 score.
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