SUDIRMAN CUP Day 2 – All rounder team ties take longest to decide

The ‘A’ in Group 1A could be taken to mean all rounders as all three contained within are unlike the other subgroups.

By Aaron Wong, Badzine Correspondent live in Gold Coast.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (live)

In hindsight, Thailand won the tie against Hong Kong 3-2 largely because they were lucky to snag the first game of the opening men’s doubles. Based on the play style of Bodin Isara / Nipitphon Phuangphuapet, Hong Kong fielding Or Chin Chung / Tang Chun Man (photo) for men’s doubles instead was ideal and these underdogs had patently thought ahead about their ploy.

The ploy

Tang/Or orchestrated a flurry of high elevation to rain dual left-handed cross court drops and smashes, seldom shying away from promptly instigating the commotion from deep in court, knowing full well these were unlikely to be instant winners. Thailand’s Bodin Isara may not have realised how much these busy elaborate rallies were a smokescreen to avoid his signature shot.

The preferred Thai onslaught were flatter exchanges requiring Nipitphon Phuangphuapet (photo) to move forward and his contribution was felt most in securing the opening game. The inevitable still came about as Isara dug a gulf between the pairs in the rubber game with his phenomenal smash that regularly only required one clean strike to close a point. Thailand captured the opening match, 22-20, 17-21, 21-11.

The differentiator

The singles matches were one-sided affairs and offered one victory each to either side so it was Tse Ying Suet / Poon Lok Yan (photo) who kept the tie alive for Hong Kong by surviving a thoroughly energy sapping women’s doubles encounter with Jongkolphan Kititharakul / Rawinda Prajongjai, 21-15, 18-21, 21-14.

Tse’s flair for defending from sitting on the ground and picking drop shots just in the nick of time  entertained the crowd and saved many a crucial point to frustrate her opponents.

The gift

Late night fans screamed a belated happy 20^th birthday to Dechapol Puavaranukroh and his gift was delivered in the form of the first game of mixed doubles owing to mis-timed smashes and drops from Lee Chun Hei on the other side of the net. Hong Kong bounced back ahead for most of the second game but a four quick unforced errors from them at 15-15 cost them the match and tie. Sapsiree Taerattanachai / Dechapol Puavaranukroh (pictured bottom) won 21-16, 21-16, with the most exciting rally turning up on match point where everybody ran, stretched or dived.

The Thais’ tie may have finished very late in the evening, but until the women’s singles match finished they had a few conspicuous observers in the crowd.  Chinese singles coaches Xia Xuanze and Zhang Ning showed great interest in what was happening in Ratchanok Intanon’s match, along with charges Sun Yu and He Bingjiao.

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