PBL 3: Delhi Dashers Rout Hyderabad Hunters 5-0

New Delhi: Delhi Dashers blanked Hyderabad Hunters 5-0 in a Premier Badminton League (PBL) contest at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here on Sunday. Delhi began the tie with a bang as their Russian men's doubles pair of Ivan Sozonov and Vladimir Ivanov breezed past Indonesia-South Korean combination of Markis Kido and Yoo Yeon Seong 15-9, 15-11.

Delhi's Vincent Wong Wing Ki defeated Lee Hyun Il 13-15, 15-11, 15-4 in Hyderabad's 'Trump Match' to add one more point for the hosts. More importantly, the defeat in the men's singles contest left Hyderabad's tally into the negative (-1).

Down in the dumps, Hyderabad needed reigning Olympic women's singles champion Carolina Marin to deliver. And the two-time world champions lived up to her reputation, getting the better of Sung Ji Hyun 15-10, 15-12. Despite the loss, Hyderabad trailed 0-2 in the tie.

In the second men's singles match, Tian Houwei, playing Delhi's Trump Match', defeated B. Sai Praneeth 15-14, 14-15, 15-10 to give the hosts an unassailable 4-0 lead, sealing the tie. In the final match, Ashwini Ponnappa and Vladimir Ivanov went past Pia Zebadiah and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy 15-11, 15-12 to make it 5-0. The win ensured that they end their home leg in an emphatic fashion.