FINALS REPORT: Rajiv Ouseph trumps Gurusai to help Delhi Acers clinch the PBL 2016 title
A CALM AND COMPOSED Rajiv Ouseph helped his team Delhi Acers lift the PBL title after he won his Trump match against Gurusaidutt in the finals of the Premier Badminton League (PBL), beating Mumbai Rockets 4-3 at the DDA Squash & Badminton Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.
The mixed doubles contest was the first match of the tie. Ivanov/Juhl won the match 15-6, 15-12 against Akshay/Gabreille to give their team the first points.
“The first win is a very good start for the team. This is a big match for us and we didn't want to give any room to the opponents. We started with aggressive strategies and pushed ourselves hard to win the first match for our team," said the winning pair.
Tommy Sugiarto ended his campaign in the league unbeaten after he overcame HS Prannoy in a three setter 12-15, 15-9, 15-9. His win also helped the Acers level the scores at 1-1 going into the men's doubles contest.
“It was a tough match as it is the finals, so it is quite expected. Prannoy played very well today and gave me good competition. Losing the first game was a setback but I came back with better strategies. Happy to win the match, it's big boost to my team," said the Indonesian.
The men's doubles pair of Delhi extended the lead to 2-1 after a thrilling three setter victory over Ivanov/Boe. This match kept everyone on their edge of their seats till the last point. It went down to the wire as the Acers' duo eventually won the three setter 14-15, 15-10, 15-14.
“It was an unbelievable match. We held our nerves till the last moment. We stepped on to the court with confidence to win the match and had some plans for it. Though we lost the first game, the second game turned into a big motivation for us. We gave everything in the third game and eventually managed to out-fox the opponents," said the winning duo.
Han Li put her team Mumbai in the lead 3-2 after she won her Trump match against Thulasi. Though Thulasi showed great power in her performance by winning the first game, the Chinese shuttler fought back to win the next two games to give her team those crucial two points. Li won 12-15, 15-8, 15-8.
“A good win for me and the team. Thulasi is talented and she surprised me in the first game. But I came back strongly in the second with some innovative ideas to counter her, which worked perfectly well. The third game went smoothly and eventually I won the match with a good margin," said the Chinese.
The final match of the tie was the Trump for Delhi and Rajiv Ouspeh easily won in straight sets 15-11, 15-6 against Gurusaidutt, enabling the Delhi Acers to clinch the PBL 2016 title without losing a single Trump match.
