PBL: Awadhe Warriors blast their way into semis
Earlier, in the first match, Blasters got the positive start as Sourabh Verma took the opening game against Warriors' defeating Vincent Wong Wing Ki.
Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Blasters’ home leg came to a disappointing end as they lost to Awadhe Warriors in the ongoing Premier Badminton League here Stadium on Monday.
The Blasters, who had failed to win any of the ties at home, went down in a one-sided affair as Warriors wrapped up the game with the home teams trump match yet to be played.
Warriors star player Saina Nehwal ensured a semi-final berth for the Lucknow team as she overcame Blasters’ Cheung Ngan Yi 9-11, 11-5, 11-5. With this, the curtains came down on the home team’s campaign for the season.
Earlier, in the first match, Blasters got the positive start as Sourabh Verma took the opening game against Warriors’ defeating Vincent Wong Wing Ki. Playing in their final league match Verma gave the home fans something to cheer about as he got the better off Wong 13-11, 11-7.
Wong was cruising through the opening game as he got a comfortable four-point cushion at 6-2, but the Indian fought back as he took the lead at 10-9, before winning the first game 13-11.
In the second game Verma rallied to a 6-3 lead before the Hong Kong shuttler fought back to level at 7-all. But a determined Verma finished off this season with a win as he held on to take the game 11-7.
Having started on the wrong foot, the Warriors bounced back to take the mixed doubles match. Savitree Amitrapai and Bodin Isara brought the Lucknow team level as they beat Sung Hyun Ko and Sikki Reddy 11-9, 4-11, 11-5.
With the scores level, Warriors’ Kidambi Srikanth showed true class as he upset Victor Axelsen. The Indian stunned Axelsen in just two games. In the opening game the duo went neck-and-neck before Srikanth took the lead at 10-7 and wrapped it up 11-9.
After pocketing the first game a confident Srikanth looked to race away with the second, but the Dutch fought back, before the Indian wrapped it up 11-9 to give Warriors the lead.
With two wins from three points, the Warriors wrapped up the tie in the final match as Saina defeated Cheung Ngan Yi. The contest which was the Warriors trump match gave sealed their victory over Blasters, making the last match, the of no value. Cheung gave Saina a scare as she fought back from 2-6 to win the opening game. But Saina got her act together and took the next two games comfortably.