The Hyderabad Hunters beat the Bengaluru Top Guns 3-2 in the first match of the double header at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. the hunters clinched both the Trump Matches, but the highlight of the afternoon came in the last match when Kidambi Srikanth beat Lee Chong Wei in the second Men's Singles rubber of the day.
Here's how all the action unfolded:
1.Women’s Singles: Supanida Kathetong(HH) vs Suo Di(BTG)
It was Suo Di, who gained the early upper hand in the contest, racing away to a 4-0 lead befree taking an incredible 8-2 lead at the interval mark in the opening game. The other side of the break saw Kathetong claw her way back into the match, winning 4 out of the next 6 points to ake it 6-10.
But Di continued to have a considerable advantage in the game, leading by a minimum of 4 points, right throughout, and eventually clinched the game 15-8.
The second game started off on a positive note for Kathetong as she took a 3-1 early lead, but at the 5-2 mark, Di made a fine comeback, winning 3 points straight to level the scores at 5-5. But it was Kathetong won 3 out of the next 5 points and led 8-7 at the interval.
The other side of the interval saw Kathetong further strengthen her lead even as Di kept the difference in points at check. The decisive moment in the tie arrived at the 10-10 mark when Di won 3 points straight to take a 13-10 lead and then closed the game and the match 15-11 to give her side the early lead.
Final Scoreline- Suo Di beat Suapnida Kathetong 15-8 15-11
2.Men’s Doubles- Carsten Mogensen/Markis Kido(HH) vs Khim Wah Lim/Hoon Tien How(BTG)[Trump Match HH]
The Hunters pair got off a perfect start in the Trump Match, leading 5-1 after the opening 6 points and then took a 8-3 lead at the interval. But the Top Guns staged a terrific comeback after the break, clinching 3 straight points to narrow the lead down to two and make it 8-6.
A few minutes later, The Top Guns pair reduced the lead to one, before squaring the tie at 11-11. It was neck-and-neck affair after that but it was the pair of Lim and How, who played a nerve-wracking game after that, winning 4 out of the next 6 points to clinch the game 15-13.
The second game began in similar fashion to the 1st as Mogensen and Kido took a 3-1 early lead, but the Top Guns pair once again made a fine comeback into proceedings, clinching 2 out of the next 5 points to make it 6-3. But the Hunters pair held on to the lead and went into the mid-game break with an 8-3 advantage.
The other end of the interval saw the pair of Morgenson and Kido further bolster their lead, not giving the Top Guns any opening and eventually taking the game 15-9.
Unlike the opening two games, it was the Top Guns who took an early lead in the decider, taking a 3-1 initial advantage but the Hunters kept a tight control over proceedings and chipped away the points to first level the tie at 7-7 before leading 8-7 at the interval.
The gripping affair continued after the break as well, as both pairs failed to give an inch away, but tide shifted towards the Hunters side at 12-12 mark, as Morgenson and Kiddo won two points straight to make 14-12 before losing two straight points to make it 14-14 and take the match into a sudden death, where the Hunters managed to hold their nerve and clinched the game 15-14 to give their side a 2-1 overall lead.
Final Scoreline- Carsten Mogensen/Markos Kiddo beat Khim Wah Lim/ hoon Tien How 13-15 15-9 15-14
3.Men’s Singles: Paruapalli Kashyap(HH) vs Sameer Verma(BTG) [Trump Match-BTG]
The opening game saw Kashyap take an early 3-1 lead and took forward the advantage to the mid-game interval where he led 8-2. The 29-year-old held on to his advantage even after the interval, but Verma made a defiant comeback into the match, and at the 12-10 mark, stitched together a collection of points to level the tie at 14-14. But at that juncture, the Top Guns player failed to hold his nerve and lost the game 15-14.
Despite losing the opening game, it was Verma, who carried, all the momentum and it showed in his play, as he raced to a 4-1 lead and then took a five-point advantage at the mid-game interval to lead 8-3.
The other end of the interval saw Kashyap make a fine comeback as he first won 3 out of the next 4 points to make it 6-9 and stitched together yet another string of points to level the scores at 10-10.
He then took the lead off the following point, and then maintained it throughout, even as Verma put in a terrific fight, to clinch the game 15-13 and hand the Top Guns a loss in both the trump matches.
Final Scoreline- Parupalli Kashyap beat Sameer Verma 15-14 15-13
4.Mixed Doubles-Markis Kido/Jwala Gutta[HH] vs Jaochim Nielsen/Ashwini Ponnappa[BTG]
It was the Hunters pair, who took the early upper hand taking a 3-2 lead but the Top Guns pair of Ponnappa and Nielsen took the upper hand soon after to lead 7-3 and led 8-5 at the mid-game interval.
The duo continued to dominate proceedings after the interval but Gutta and Kido made a good comeback into the match at the 11-7 mark, clinching two points straight to reduce the gap. They continued to put pressure on the Top Guns duo, and were helped by a few errors, particularly from Nielsen and levelled the score at 13-13.
But a vital error from the Hunters gave the Top Guns the game point and they converted it soon after to take the opening game 15-13.
The second game saw the Top Guns carry the momentum forward as they took a 4-1 lead. But Gutta and Kido made a fine comeback, clinching three points straight to level scores at 4-4.
But Nielsen and Ponnappa soon restored their lead, winning 3 points straight to go 7-4 up and went into the break with an 8-5 advantage next to their names. The other side of the interval saw Ponnappa commit a few crucial errors which brought the game back on level terms at 9-9 and then took the lead a few points later, only for their opponent to equalise it at 11-11.
The decisive turn in the match arrived at the 12-12 mark, when the Top Guns pair won 3 out of the next 4 points to clinch the game 15-13 and with that also the match.
Final Scoreline- Jaochim Nielsen/Ashwini Ponnappa beat Markis Kido/Jwala Gutta 15-13 15-13
5.Men’s Singles- Lee Chong Wei[HH] vs Kidambi Srikanth[BTG]
The opening game saw Lee race away to a 5-1 lead before Srikanth won two points straight to make it 5-3. The Indian then fought his way back into the contest, winning 3 out of the next 4 points to lead 8-7 at the interval.
Srikanth continued to hold all the aces at the other end of the break, chipping away with the points and putting severe pressure on his opponent. At the 12-8 mark, the 22-year-old won 6 out of the next 7 points to win the game 15-12.
The second game began in similar fashion to the first as Lee once again to a 5-1 lead. But like the earlier game, Srikanth showed excellent fighting spirit to hang in there, but could prevent Lee from taking an 8-3 lead at the mid-game interval.
After the interval, the Malaysian continued to lead, chipping away with the points and not allowing Srikanth any opening to clinch the second game 15-6.
Srikanth once again found himself on the backfoot in the decider, but at the 1-2 mark, the Indian made an exceptional comeback, winning 5 points straight to take a 6-2 lead and put Lee on the back foot. He eventually took an 8-3 lead at the break.
The World No.9 continued his carry his lead after the break as well and eventually clinched the game 15-7 to pull off a terrific win.
Final Scoreline – Kidambi Srikanth beat Lee Chong Wei 15-12 6-15 15-7
