Sung Hyun, Kim Ha Na excel in Mixed Doubles event of Singapore Open – Badminton news
Mixed Doubles experts Ko Sung Hyun and Kim Ha Na of Korea performed beyond the expectations in Li Ning Singapore Open and earned a quarter-final berth on Thursday, June 20, 2013.
Both shuttlers joined hands against a higher ranked Chinese duo Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei and sealed a straight-set victory in just 41 minutes. Their commendable game plan yielded favourable results in shape of 21-15 and 23-21 scores.
The twosome of Sung Hyun and Kim Ha Na looked in prime touch during the opening game of this match. Both Korean shuttlers forged a fruitful chemistry in the establishing rallies and piled up a decent total in no time.
They ruled the court by employing an unbeatable strategy and kept their challengers at the lower end. Their coordination was superb throughout this half of the set. A few mistakes weakened their grip but it was a temporary hindrance.
They improvised their game plan and bagged many valuable points with a fine blend of well placed smashes and masterly crafted drop net shots. The Korean duo finished first half of the set with a convincing total of 11.
After the mid-game break, Ko and Kim injected more intensity in their attack and pushed the Chinese campaigners on back foot. They did not lose focus at any stage of the game and ended this set with scoreboard flashing 21-15 margin in their favour.
However, it was not an easy run to victory for them in the following game as the twosome of Zhang and Zhao also showed great fighting spirit and kept the opposing team busy all the way to game point situation.
Initially, the Korean shuttlers had an upper hand but then the experienced Chinese campaigners switched on the best in them and tipped the scale in their favour. Zhang and Zhao showed great coordination in first half of the set and registered a respectable
total before interval.
Both teams pushed each other in all areas of the court and remained close all the way to game point situation. Finally, this cliff-hanging tussle ended when Sung Hyun-Kim Ha Na managed a winning margin of 23-21 and qualified for the quarter-finals of Singapore
Open.
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