Notwithstanding Saina Nehwal’s morale-boosting victory over in-form World No. 3 Sung Ji-Hyun 12-10, 4-11, 11-5 in 39 minutes, Mumbai Rockets stopped Awadhe Warriors 4-3 in a battle involving the two top teams of the Premier Badminton League here.
Once H.S. Prannoy won his ‘trump’ match against Wing Ki Vincent Wong to give Rockets a winning lead, Warriors salvaged two points from their ‘trump’ match, the mixed doubles.
For the record, after three outings each, Awadhe continued to lead the table with 14 match-points, with Mumbai — the only unbeaten team so far in the six-team league — second at 12.
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Sung, in the form of her career, entered the match trailing 1-6 in head-to-head results against Saina. The Indian carried the psychological advantage into this encounter as she battled from being 9-10 down to take the opening game.
But Sung did not take long to draw level. She jumped to 10-3 after winning four straight points and eventually converted her second game-point.
In the decider, Saina gave it her all, much to the joy of a vociferous and partisan crowd. Down 2-3 she took four points in succession to stay ahead at the mid-game interval. She returned to stretch the lead to 8-3.
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Though the six-point sequence snapped, Saina was not to be denied on this day. She reached match-point when Sung netted following a long rally. Saina went on to convert the first of the five match-points when Sung sent the shuttle out.
In a match involving the top two Indians in world rankings, Ajay Jayaram surprised K. Srikanth after saving three match-points in the second game.
In a thrilling contest that set the pace for an exciting evening, previously unbeaten men’s combinations Yong Dae Lee-Nipitphon Puangpuapech and V. Shem Goh-Markis Kido squandered a match-point each, before the former held their nerve when it mattered
The results (T indicates trump match): Mumbai Rockets bt Awadhe Warriors 4-3 [Yong Dae Lee & Nipitphon Puangpuapech bt V. Shem Goh & Markis Kido 11-7, 3-11, 13-11; Ajay Jayaram bt K. Srikanth 5-11, 15-14, 11-5; Sung Ji-hyun lost to Saina Nehwal 10-12, 11-4, 5-11; (T) H.S. Prannoy bt Wing Ki Vincent Wong 14-12, 9-11, 11-8; Nipitphon Puangpuapech and Nadiezda Zieba lost to (T) Savitree Amitrapal and Bodin Isara 8-11, 4-11] .