Lucknow: World No. 10 Saina Nehwal of Awadhe Warriors drew huge support from the crowd when she fought back from dropping a set to crush Sung Ji-Hyun of Mumbai Rockets 12-10, 4-11, 11-5 in the Premier Badminton League tie on Friday.
Awadhe Warriors were off to a struggling start when their men’s doubles pair Goh V Shem/Markis Kido went down 7-11, 11-3, 11-13 to Mumbai Rockets’ Lee Yong Dae and Nipitphon Puangpuapech.
Although Awadhe Warriors’ Kidambi Srikanth raced to a quick 5-2 lead in the men’s singles match, Ajay Jayaram of Mumbai Rockets displayed exceptional resilience as he bounced back with 5-11, 15-14, 11-5 victory to help his team take a 2-0 lead in the tie.
After Saina Nehwal’s victory in the women’s singles, Awadhe Warriors managed to stay alive in the competition.
Unfortunately, Awadhe Warriors’ comeback was dashed as H. S Prannoy sealed the tie for Mumbai Rockets by winning his trump match against Wing Ki Vincent Wong 14-12, 9-11, 11-8 to extend the score for Mumbai Rockets at 4-1.
Savitree Amitrapai/Bodin Isara won Awadhe Warriors’ ‘Trump match’ in the mixed doubles to make the final score 4-3 in favor of Mumbai Rockets.
