Uber Cup 2012: Kim Min Jung, Ha Jung Eun thrash Mizuki Fujii, Reika Kakiiwa in semi-finals
Women’s Doubles experts Kim Min Jung and Ha Jung Eun of Korea played their part to perfection in semi-final match against Japan as they overwhelmed Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa on May 24, 2012.
This encounter turned out to be the best segment of the show as it prolonged to 84 minutes and both teams sweat hard to achieve their respective goals.
The Korean duo displayed superior craft in court and took their country one step close to victory by putting favourable margin of 21-13, 17-21 and 21-14.
Meanwhile, Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa remained hanging by a thread to stay alive but their rivals’ blistering assault left them scarred on their way out of the competition.
In opening set of the contest, Kim Min and Ha Jung launched a brisk attack and gained an early advantage of seven points. They dictated their opponents until mid-game break and placed notable total of 11-3.
Later part of the set also saw them employing unbeatable skills and raising their lead to 15-8. They lost grip for short period of time when the Japanese girls stepped forward with some back-to-back rallies.
The World Number three duo Kim Min-Ha Jung reinstated their dominance with some continuous points and bagged first set with 21-13 score on the board.
However, Mizuki Fujii-Reika Kakiiwa thrived in times of difficulty as they did not flinch after losing opening game of the contest.
They took the fight back to a higher level and equalled match score. This time they got into commanding position straight away in the beginning and maintained their upper hand until game point situation.
Their determination and tenacity proved too much for Koreans who knelt down after reading concluding figure of 17-21.
This 1-1 match score position brought life back into contest as both teams were locked in survival of a war of the fittest.
Third and final set started with an immediate lead of Japanese shuttlers as they entered six points without wasting any time but they could not ride on some fortune to help their team recover from trouble.
The partnership of Kim Min and Ha Jung took the challenge head on and stole the limelight by registering 21-14 margin on the board.
This win boosted confidence of their compatriots as Korea sealed a 3-0 victory and eased into title match where they will meet hot favourites China.
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