Vladimir Ivanov, Ivan Sozonov rule in Men’s Doubles final of Russia Open Grand Prix 2012
Men’s Doubles experts Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov doubled the celebration by seizing Russia Open Grand Prix title on Sunday, July 1, 2012.
Earlier, the Mixed Doubles team Alexandr Nikolaenko-Valeri Sorokina of Russia gave badminton lovers a solid reason to celebrate by wearing the crown in home event.
Vladimir and Ivan surpassed compatriot duo Vitalij Durkin-Alexandr Nikolaenko in just two games by registering overwhelming margin of 21-18 and 21-15.
They continued their successful run and remained invincible in hard fought 33-minute tussle. Their coordination was superb as they did not show sign of confusion in any part of the game and locked the honour in splendid fashion.
Meanwhile, the opposing team strived hard to match their skills but could not hit the mark throughout this straight-set match.
The first set started with Vladimir-Ivan making swift progress to 6-3 but they could not maintain this pace in next couple of rallies which resulted in 8-8 figure.
Vitalij and Alexandr manipulated every loophole and managed to hit the bench as leading contender in the first half.
They placed a respectable total of 11-8 and this three-point lead enabled them to start second half with great confidence.
Though, spirited pair Vladimir-Ivan remained under influence of this deficit in third quarter of the set but they showed transformed character in the final moments.
They grabbed six consecutive points after 14-17 and pushed their rivals into the dark with 21-18 score on the board.
Next game remained interesting just until mid-game break as later part turned one-sided affair. This final segment of the show was played at rapid pace and both compatriots pushed each other in all areas of the court.
In the beginning, Vladimir and Ivan gained an early advantage with 5-2 and then relished this upper hand until 9-6 total.
At this stage, Vitalij-Alexandr counter-balanced the situation by earning four points in a row and placed a decent figure of 11-10 before the interval.
However, they had no reply to their competitors’ backlash in the second half and lost this crucial encounter in practice match manner.
They committed unforced errors which helped Vladimir-Ivan to reserve top spot on victory stand with decisive margin of 21-15.
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