BCA Indonesia Open 2014 – Day 4: Lee-thal Koreans Rise to Occasion:
A titanic performance propelled Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong
into tomorrow’s Men’s Doubles semi-finals of the BCA Indonesia Open, thwarting
the ambitions of their gutted Malaysian rivals.
Grabbing
a valuable 18-15 lead in the deciding game of their quarter-final this evening,
Tan Boon Heong and Tan Wee Kiong (below) were already dreaming about a spot in
the final four of the BWF Superseries Premier event. However, the never-say-die
Koreans gave a rousing finale – with trademark big hitting from the back court
– to pull level at 18-all before edging home, 15-21 21-6 21-19.
In an encounter the losers were clearly
aggrieved to have squandered, Malaysia played confidently to snatch the first
game. The response from across the net was swift – and deadly. The cliff-hanger
that ensued in the third was one of which this battle was worthy and the
approval of fans inside the heaving Istora Senayan was overwhelming. Ear plugs
would have been a handy commodity as wild screams and the noisy beating of
thunder sticks greeted every point, regardless of who scored. “I
never give up. I just had to focus and find a way to get level with them. Then
we could attack. I kept thinking positively. I always believe we can win,” said
the irrepressible Lee, savouring his return to the MetLife BWF World
Superseries and hunting his second straight success after triumphing in last
week’s Yonex Open Japan.
His
partner admitted he wasn’t confident and that it was Lee’s spirit and refusal
to surrender the match that got them through.
“I was
nervous, especially after how the Malaysians started. He (Lee) kept pushing me.
Telling me we can do it,” stated a drenched Yoo.
By
contrast, Tan Boon Heong was inconsolable, though hailing the clash a “great
match”.
“We
should win that match. We were leading 18-15 and we should have pressured them
but they were pressuring us. We had a few mistakes. It’s disappointing as we
were not originally partners but we had a chance to be in the semi-finals,”
said the veteran.
There
were similar tales of “oh-so-close-but-yet-so-far” for Denmark’s Christinna
Pedersen/Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Singaporean duo, Shinta Mulia Sari/Yao Lei.
Both Women’s Doubles pairs saw match points come and go and, with them, the
chance of advancing to the weekend action.
For the No. 2 seeds, it was a nightmarish ending to a match they
seemed to have under control at key stages and really could have won in two
games. Despite holding match point at 20-19 versus Jang Ye Na/Kim So Young (BWF home page) and putting away smash opportunities
quickly, the Danes faltered when it counted most. Rytter Juhl rushed a shot and
found the net to lock the scores 20-20 in the third game and the luck of the
net then earned Korea their own match point.
Again,
the usually-assured Rytter erred, smashing wide. The score: 14-21 22-20 22-20
to the jubilant Koreans.
“This
is a big win for us because Denmark is very difficult to beat. We talked about
their strengths and weaknesses and we just kept fighting. If we play our best,
I think we can win this,” said Jang, her partner nodding in agreement.
Meanwhile,
Indonesia-born Shinta Mulia Sari – spurred on by boisterous cheers from her
compatriots – was a point away from earning a place for Singapore in the
Women’s Doubles semi-finals. The 26-year-old and Yao Lei held two match points
against the wily Ma Jin and the young Tang Yuanting. Nerves, however, got the
better of the Singaporeans as the Chinese – with nothing to lose – attacked
decisively and were rewarded with a 21-18 17-21 22-20 result.
“I
didn’t think too far ahead. I just tried to play my best and we won. I am more
experienced than Tang and I tried to take charge,” explained Ma Jin, who also
won her Mixed Doubles match later.
Sari,
who has represented Singapore for 12 years, acknowledged their eagerness to win
cost them victory. However, she was pleased with their progress and feels
confident ahead of next week’s Star Australian Open – the newest World
Superseries tournament.
0 comments:
Post a Comment