HYDERABAD HUNTERS in great fashion claim the top spot of the points table with a dominant 6-(1) win over Bengaluru Blasters.Â
Hyderabad started on a good note as their mixed doubles pair of Pia /Satwiksairaj continued their winning run beating Sikki Reddy/ Manu Attri 15-6, 14-15, 15-9 in a hard fought three game battle to give their team the opening point of the tie.
The second match of the tie too saw some tough competition as men's singles shuttlers Sai Praneeth and Chong Feng were battling it out for a win. Chong winning the first game 15-10 gave Bengaluru the much needed confidence of getting back in the tie but it was not to be.Â
Praneeth shattered those hopes by displaying some brilliant shots to win the following two games and further the lead for his side 15-7, 15-14.
The lead for Hyderabad only increased as Carolina Marin tasted easy win over Kirsty Gilmour 15-9, 15-7 to make it 3-0.
This was followed by the trump match for the home team as Lee Hyun Il was up against Subhankar Dey.Â
The opening game went to Hyun Il 15-11 giving hyderabad all the reasons to rejoice but Subhankar wouldn't let of another opportunity to cause an upset as he got back by winning the second game 15-11.
And the final game went to the experienced Hunters' shuttler Lee Hyun 15-11 sealing the tie for his team and giving them an unassailable lead of 5-0. The final match between men's doubles contest was the trump match for Bengaluru who were looking for the two points in the bag. Markis Kido /Yeon Seong winning the opening game 15-10 put the Blasters' pair under pressure but they got back to win the second 15-11 to push the match into a decider.
Kido/Seong were determined to win this match as they won the final game with strength and will 15-7 to beat the trump which gave Bengaluru a negative point. The Hunters going into the semi-finals claiming the top spot with 20 points by winning this while Bengaluru slip to third spot.
The other two teams in the semis are Ahmedabad Smash Masters and Delhi Dashers.