PBL 2017: Awadhe Warriors rout Delhi Acers to dash their hopes of defending the crown

The Lucknow-leg of Vodafone PBL Season 2 began with a bang for the home team Awadhe Warriors as they dispatched the defending champions Delhi Acers in ruthless fashion. Match 1: Markis Kido/Goh W Shem (AWA) vs Akshay Dewalkar/Vladimir Ivanov (DEL) The first match of the evening comprised of the men’s doubles as Awadhe’s Kido and Shem teamed up against Delhi’s Dewalkar and Ivanov. Awadhe started off strongly as Kido and Shem took to the game by storm, taking a commanding 6-1 lead into the break. They continued their dominance after the break and did not allow their opponents any breathing space as they took the first game 11-4. Kido and Shem were their usual relentless self in the second game as they played some strong badminton to take a 6-3 lead into the break and never looked back in the game as they made quick work of their opponents by taking the game 11-4, and thus easily winning the match in straight sets, giving Awadhe the first point of the night. Result: Markis Kido/Goh W Shem (AWA) beat Akshay Dewalkar/Vladimir Ivanov 11-4 11-4 Match 2: Saina Nehwal (AWD) vs Nichaon Jindapol (DEL) The second match saw Awadhe Warriors' Saina Nehwal taking on Delhi Acers' Nichaon Jindapol in a Trump match called by the former. However, it was the Thai who started brightly to take a 6-4 lead to the break. Nehwal stormed back to take an 8-6 lead before Jindapol led 10-9. Nehwal managed to ward off two game points before Jindapol's error ended a long, nervous 29-shot rally to hand the Indian the advantage. Nehwal snatched the opportunity with both hands to clinch the first game 14-12. Jindapol showed no fear against her much-vaunted opponent as she once again took a lead to the break at 6-5. A stroke of luck coupled with errors by Jindapol saw Nehwal quickly move to 10-7, giving her three match points. Nehwal promptly closed the match with a smash to send Awadhe to a 3-0 lead. Result: Saina Nehwal (AWD) beat Nichaon Jindapol (DEL) 14-12, 11-7 Match 3: Kidambi Srikanth (AWA) vs Jan O Jorgensen (DEL) Match 3 of the tie happened to be the first men’s singles of the evening as India’s Kidambi Srikanth went up against the world number two from Denmark, Jan O Jorgensen. The players went toe-to-toe in the first game but Srikanth with some strong smashes and good net play, managed to get a 6-5 lead at the break. He continued with his good form after the half and edged Jorgensen 11-9 to take the first game. Srikanth then started dominating proceedings into the second set and took a healthy 6-2 lead into the break. However, too many errors gifted Jorgensen a comeback after the break and the Dane held his nerve to take the game 13-11. Srikanth once again started strong in the decider set who utilized his drop shots well and took a 6-4 lead into the break. Though he did make a few more mistakes after the break, Srikanth kept calm under pressure and won the crucial points to win the game 11-9, and with that, the match. Thus, Awadhe had an unassailable 4-0 lead over the defending champions with two matches to go. Result: K Srikanth (AWA) beat Jan O Jorgensen (DEL) 11-9 11-13 11-9 Match 4: Savitree Amitrapai/Bodin Isara (AWD) vs Jwala Gutta/Vladimir Ivanov (DEL) The Warriors began the mixed doubles under very little pressure with tie already in the bag for them. But, there was hardly any letdown in intensity from Awadhe's Thai duo. Both Amitrapai and Isara came up with some outstanding smashes as Gutta and Ivanov too looked up for the fight. The Warriors managed to clinch the first game in a closely fought battle 12-10. In the second game, the Thais look irrepressible as Gutta and Ivanov found it tough to cope with their outstanding play. The Warriors duo looked like 'smash machines' as they blew away the Acers to win the second game 11-5 and heap further misery on the defending champions. Result: Savitree Amitrapai/Bodin Isara (AWD) beat Jwala Gutta/Vladimir Ivanov (DEL) 12-10, 11-5 Match 5: Vincent Wong Wing Ki (AWD) vs Son Wan Ho (DEL) The final match of the evening was a Trump game called by Delhi Acers where Son Wan Ho took on the home team's Vincent Wong Ki. Son was off the blocks quickly to stroll to a 6-2 lead at the break. After the break, a superb 48-shot rally took place which saw Ki win the point after brilliantly retrieving a seemingly well-placed smash from Son. It looked to have spurred the Hong Kong native as he began to crank up his game to level at 8-8. Ki built on further to win the first set 11-8 much to everyone's surprise. The second game began more on an even keel with both players slugging it out for every point as Ki managed a 6-4 lead at the interval. There was no stopping Ki after the break as the Acers went into negative points for the second game in succession and the defending champions look absolutely bereft of ideas as the defence of their crown came crashing down early in the tournament. Result: Vincent Wong Wing Ki (AWD) beat Son Wan Ho (DEL) 11-8, 11-6 Final Result: Awadhe Warriors beat Delhi Acers 6-(-1)