Wan Son held his nerve in the deciding rubber to guide Awadhe Warriors to a close 4-3 win over Chennai Smashers, on the opening day of the Bengaluru leg of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) here on Monday.
With the teams tied at 3-3, Son outplayed Rajiv Ouseph 15-6, 15-6 to take his team past the finish line. The victory helped Awadhe take a big step towards qualifying for the semifinal round.
Awadhe began well, recording a crucial victory in the men’s doubles. Yang Lee and Mathias Christiansen brought home two points in Awadhe’s trump match, coasting past Chris Adcock and Sumeeth Reddy 15-8, 15-5.
Christiansen and Lee toyed with their opponents, finishing the rubber in just 20 minutes.
The first men’s singles match was similarly one-sided, with Awadhe’s Lee Keun (World No. 29) taking out Feng Chong (World No. 60) in straight games.
After losing the first game, Chong put up a fight by saving two match points in the second. Keun, however, possessed too much firepower and closed it out 15-7, 15-13.
With her side down 0-3, it was down to Hyun Sung to keep Chennai alive. Sung, the World No. 9, did just that, putting it across B. Zhang 15-13, 15-8. The 2015 World Championship bronze medallist used her tall frame to showcase exceptional court coverage and smashes. Zhang made unforced errors at important junctures.
Sung’s win in the trump match helped Chennai reduce Awadhe’s lead to 3-2, setting the stage for an exciting mixed doubled contest.
Christiansen and local favourite Ashwini Ponnappa faced a stiff challenge against Chennai’s accomplished husband-wife pair of Chris and Gabrielle Adcock. In the deciding game, Christiansen-Ashwini were sitting pretty with a big 14-10 advantage. The Adcocks, however, pulled a rabbit out of their hat, saved four match points, and sneaked through 15-13, 9-15, 15-14.
Son, the World No. 5, then ensured that Awadhe had no further slip ups.
The results: Awadhe Warriors 4 bt Chennai Smashers 3 (Yang Lee & Mathias Christiansen (T) bt Chris Adcock & Sumeeth Reddy 15-8, 15-5; Lee Keun bt Feng Chong 15-7, 15-13; B. Zhang lost to Hyun Sung (T) 13-15, 8-15; Christiansen & Ashwini Ponnappa lost to Chris Adcock & Gabrielle Adcock 13-15, 15-9, 14-15; Wan Son bt Rajiv Ouseph 15-6, 15-6).