Tontowi Ahmad, Liliyana Natsir become Mixed Doubles champion of 2013 All England Open
Indonesia’s prime Mixed Doubles duo Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir remained invincible in the final round of Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships and claimed the crown on March 10, 2013.
World Number two pair was up against Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei of China and this encounter prolonged to 42 minutes before ending with 21-13 and 21-17.
This title match was played in the local badminton complex of Birmingham and a huge crowd gathered to encourage both finalists.
The Indonesian campaigners displayed superior finishing skills and locked the honour with a splendid straight-set win.
On the other hand, the Chinese players failed to continue their successful run and squandered a golden chance of winning this prestigious tournament.
The first set of match started with couple of gruelling rallies as both teams made every effort to gain an early advantage.
However, the twosome of Tontowi and Liliyana did not take much time to establish a strong grip over the game.
Both Mixed Doubles partners forged a fruitful chemistry and piled up a decent total of 11 before the interval.
After the mid-game break, Zhang and Zhao also showed some spark and brought life back into the contest. They ruled the court in couple of consecutive rallies and managed to narrow the gap on points table.
In third quarter of the set, Tontowi and Liliyana stormed back with strong reply and cast their opponents out with a staggering knock of 21-13.
There was not an easy road to victory for the Indonesian pair in the following game as this time their competitors put all they had to avoid a straight-set defeat.
In first half of the set, Zhang and Zhao did not show any sign of bewilderment and established a decent lead.
They kept on moving forward on points table until the half time but then few back-to-back mistakes put their expedition to halt.
Tontowi and Liliyana capitalised their opponents’ blunders and counterbalance the situation in third quarter of the set.
The Indonesian duo played impeccable badminton in the final moments and secured All England title with an impressive total. They maintained a significant difference and registered a winning margin of 21-17.
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