New Delhi: Hosts Delhi Acers notched up their second consecutive victory in two days as they registered a 5-2 win over Bengaluru Topguns at the Siri Fort Stadium on Friday.
Ajay Jayaram started the night positively for Delhi Acers as he beat Sameer Verma in the first men’s singles match by taking the first set 15-10. Although Sameer tried to put up a tougher fight in the second set, after series of shots hit back and forth across the net, the Mumbai-born Jayaram eventually clinched the second set 15-12 with a powerful jump smash.
Playing the Trump match for Delhi Acers, former men’s doubles World No. 1 Koo Keat Kien and Tan Boon Heong gave no chance to their countrymen of Hoon Thien How and Lim Khim Wah by beating the Topguns 15-9, 15-10 in 21 minutes to put Acers at 3-0.
Leading 3-0, Commonwealth Games silver medalist Rajiv Ouseph of England then locked horns against the 2014 China Open winner, Kidambi Srikanth of Bengaluru, who had beaten former World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei on Jan 3rd, 2016. The England recruit Rajiv Ouseph continued his brilliant run at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, fought back from a set down to tame Bengaluru’s World No. 9 Kidambi Srikanth 4-15, 15-11, 15-9 in the second men’s singles and third match of the tie.
Sou Di of Bengaluru helped save some face for Bengaluru when she trounced Delhi’s Shikha Gautam 15-5 15-6 in a women’s singles contest to grab two points for the visitor’s Trump match.
“Shikha is a very talented player, and it’s not easy to beat her. After I won the first game, I maintained my aggressiveness in the second set, continued to put pressure on her and fortunately I was able to win the match,” said Sou Di.
In the last match of the tie, Bengaluru’s Ashwini Ponnappa and Lim Khim Wah fought hard but Delhi’s Gabrielle Adcock and Koo Keat Kien was too strong in the mixed doubles, widened their team’s winning margin to 5-2 after they overcame Ponnappa/Lim 15-14, 9-15, 15-12 in 45 minutes.
