The Awadhe Warriors, minus their skipper Saina Nehwal defeated the ChennaiSmashers 4-1 in the second match of the double-header at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium on Monday.
Here’s how all the action unfolded:
Men’s Singles: Brice Leverdez(CS) vs Tanongsak Saemsomboonsak(AW)
The opening game saw Leverdez begin in fantastic fashion as he raced away to a 8-2 lead in the opening game to put massive pressure on his opponent. The other side of the break saw Saemsomboonsak bounce in fine fashion as he clinched 7 out of the next 8 points to reduce the deficit to just 2. But it proved to be too little too late as the Frenchman clinched the game 15-13 to give his side the early lead.
The second game saw Saemsomboonsak take a 4-2 lead but Leverdez made a quick comeback into the contest and at the interval mark, took an 8-5 lead to put further pressure on his opponent.
The other end of the break saw Leverdez strike the knockout punch and he eventually clinched the game 15-9 to start off the tie in impressive fashion for the Smashers
Final Scoreline- Brice Leverdez beat Tanongsak Saemsomboonsak 15-13 15-9
2.Men's Singles: Tony Suncoro(CS) vs Sai Praneeth(AW)
The opening game saw Suncoro begin positively as he took a 4-2 lead but Sai made a superb comeback into the match, levelling the scores at 7-7 before leading 8-7 at the break. A cat-and-mouse at the other end saw both players exchange leads but at the 14-12 mark, it was Suncoro who converted the game point opportunity to take the opening game 15-12.
The second game saw Sai take an early 4-1 lead before stretching it to 8-5 at the half-way mark in the game. The other side of the break saw the Indian assume further control of proceedings and he clinched the game 15-8 to take the match into a decider.
The decider saw Sai get off to a perfect start as he took a 5-2 lead before extending that advantage to 8-5 at the break. The other end of the break saw the Indian further tighten his grip over proceedings but at the 10-13 mark, Suncoro clawed his way back into the match, winning 3 points straight to level the scores at 13-13. But Sai Praneeth held his nerve and clinched the game 15-13.
Final Scoreline- Sai Praneeth beat Tony Suncoro 12-15 15-8 15-13
3.Men’s Doubles: Pranaav Chopra/Toby Ng(CS) vs Cai Yun/ Hendra Gunawan(AW)
The opening game saw Cai and Toby take an early 3-1 lead but after a small cat-and-mouse game, it was the Awadhe pair who took a 6-4 lead before entering the break with an 8-5 advantage.
The other side of the break saw a gripping affair between both pairs, but it was the pair of Yun and Gunawan who took the game eventually 15-13.
The second game saw the Awadhe pair take an early 4-1 lead but the pair of Chopra and Toby won 3 points straight to level the score at 4-4.But the pair of Yun and Gunawan restored the lead and went into the interval with an 8-5 lead.
The other side of the break saw the visitors dominate proceedings and they eventually sealed the game 15-11 to give their side a 2-1 lead.
Final Scoreline- Cai Yun.Hendra Gunawan beat Pranaav Chopra/Toby Ng 15-13 15-11
4.Women’s Singles: PV Sindhu(CS) vs Vrushali Gummadi(AW)
The opening game saw Sindhu take a 3-1 lead before Gummadi came back to equalise it at 3-3. But the 20-year-old took charge after that, clinching 5 points straight to go 8-3 up at the interval. The other end of the break saw Sindhu absolutely dominate proceedings and she eventually clinched the game 15-7.
The second game saw Sindhu get off to a flyer as raced away to a 5-0 lead before extending it to 8-3 at the interval mark. The two-time World Championships bronze medalist knocked the killer punch after the interval, clinching a whopping 7 points straight to clinch the game 15-3 and with that the tie as well.
Final Scoreline- PV Sindhu beat Vrushali Gummadi 15-7 15-3
5.Mixed Doubles: Chris Adcock/Pia Zebadiah(CS) vs Bodin Issara/Christina Pederson(AW)[Trump Match called by both teams]
The opening game saw the pair of Issara and Pederson take an early 4-0 lead and despite the Smashers pair taking three points straight after that, led 8-3 at the break. The other side of the break saw the Smashers continue its domination and eventually clinched the game 15-7.
The second game saw the pair of Issara and Pederson take a 3-0 lead before extending it to 8-4 at the interval mark. The other end of the break saw th pair of Adcock and Zebadiah make a fine comeback as they clinched 6 out of the next 8 points to level the scores at 10-10.
But Bodin and Pederson took control of proceedings after that and clinched next 5 points straight to win the game 15-10 and seal the tie.
Final Scoreline- Bodin Issara/Christina Pederson beat Chris Adcock/Pia Zebadiah 15-7 15-10
