Pune7Aces left to wonder what if...

Pune7Aces left to wonder what if...

Pune: World Champion Carolina Marin needed no more than 20 minutes to outgun Vu Thi Thrang 15-8, 15-5 in the trump match, but despite the Spaniard’s flawless show host Pune7Aces were left to wonder what if as they dropped down the table in the Premier Badminton League at the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Sunday.

Pune made an ominous start when Vladimir Ivanov and Chirag Shetty lost a close men’s doubles match against the Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 12-15, 11-15.

Marin took the court and won her match in what was a routine victory for her, but that didn’t really help Pune’s cause even though it was a trump match that the home team won.

Then Ajay Jayaram wasted a golden chance to go one up of Srikanth Kidambi when the match went into the decider at 14-14 in the third and final game but his return to Srikanth’s low smash landed long.

Ivanov then made amends to his men’s doubles loss when he paired up with Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt to beat the Raptors’ duo of Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith 15-13, 15-9 to bring Pune7Aces back on level with Bengaluru.

Lakshya Sen, however, failed to lift the sagging spirit and lost to B Sai Praneeth 9-15, 13-15 as Pune7Aces ended their home campaign on a losing note. He surrendered first game but lifted his game in the second. In the second game, he was trailing 5-12, but picked up a series of points to come agonisingly close to restore parity; eventually losing the game 13-15, and a match too.

Chennai stun table toppers
Season 2 champions Chennai Smashers bounced back with a thunderous 6-(-1) win over the table toppers Ahmedabad Smash Masters thanks to 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Rajeev Ouseph, who upset Viktor Axelsen and former World No. 2 Sung Ji Hyun won over Kirsty Gilmour to inflict the first defeat of the season on the Smash Masters.

Ouseph’s huge win over the Ahmedabad skipper Axelsen denied any hope of a comeback and paved the way for a flawless performance by the Smashers where they won all five matches of the tie.

Axelsen struggled to retrieve his shots and lacked his usual firepower and conviction and conceded the opener 12-15. Later in a riveting decider, the two were tied till 11-11 following which the Chennai man upped the intensity of his attack with his brutal down-the-line smashes before completing 15-12, 7-15, 15-13 upset win.

Chennai’s icon player Sung Ji Hyun continued the momentum to put her team on the path of a commanding win. The Korean had mastered Kirsty Gilmour twice on the world tour and that too, in straight games. It was no exception on Sunday as she won 15-11, 15-9.

In the mixed doubles rubber, World No. 9 pair of Chris and Gabrielle Adcock came back from an 11- 13 deficit to beat Sikki Reddy and Satwiksairaj 15-14, 15-13.

Results:
Chennai Smashers beat Ahmedabad Smash Masters: 6- (-1)
(MS1): Wei Feng Chong bt Sourabh Verma 8-15,15-14,15-9.
(XD): Chris Adcock and Gabrielle Adcock bt Satwiksairaj Reddy and Sikki Rankireddy 15-14,15-13.
(MS2): Rajiv Ouseph bt Viktor Axelsen (T) 15-12, 7-15, 15-13.
(WS): Ji Hyun Sung (T) bt Kirsty Gilmour 15-11, 15-9.
(MD): Chris Adcock and B Sumeeth Reddy bt Chun Hei Reginald Lee and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy 15-11, 15-12.
Pune7Aces lost to Bengaluru Raptors 3-4
(MD): Vladimir Ivanov and Chirag Shetty lost to Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 12-15, 11-15.
(WS): Carolina Marin bt Vu Thi Trang 15-8, 15-5.
(MS1): Ajay Jayaram lost to Srikanth Kidambi 15-10, 12-15, 14-15.
(XD): Vladimir Ivanov and Line Hojmark Kjaersfeldt bt Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith 15-13, 15-9.
(MS2): Lakshya Sen lost to B Sai Praneeth 9-15, 13-15.

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