The fate of the Bengaluru TopGuns was sealed as early as the opening game itself, which they needed to win to stay in contention. They eventually lost the match 4-1 to the Chennai Smashers at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, much to the dismay of the cheering fans.
Here’s how all the action unfolded:
1. Men’s Singles: Sameer Verma (BTG) vs Sony Kuncoro (CS) [Trump Match called by CS]
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The opening game saw both players win two out of the opening four points before Kuncoro took a two-point lead to go 4-2 up. The Indian levelled the scores soon after at 4-4, but at the halfway mark it was the Indonesian who took the upper hand, clinching 4 out of the next 6 points to lead 8-6 at the interval.
The break provided no respite for the Verma as Kuncoro romped to a 15-10 first game win.
The second game started off in a similar fashion to the first as the score was tied at 2-2 after the opening 4 points. But at the 4-4 mark, it was Verma who grabbed the initiative by taking a 6-5 lead, which turned to 8-6 at the break.
The other side of the break saw the Indonesian take the lead in the game but at the 10-9 mark, Verma made a terrific comeback clinching two out of the next three points to go 12-10 up. He managed to hold on to that advantage and sealed the game 15-10.
In the decider, the two players once again reached a deadlock at 2-2, but the decisive turn in the game came at the 5-7 mark when Kuncoro won one of the two points that was needed to go 8-6 up.
Despite putting in his best efforts, it proved to be futile in the end for Verma as Kuncoro clinched the game 15-8 to seal the game and the match.
Final Scoreline: Sony Kuncoro beat Sameer Verma 15-10 10-15 15-8
2. Men’s Doubles: Hoon Thien How/Joachim Fisher Nielsen (BTG) vs Chris Adcock/Pranaav Chopra (CS)
The first game saw both pairs win 2 out of the opening 4 points before the pair of Adcock and Chopra took a 4-3 lead. However, the TopGuns fought back very well to take a 7-4 lead and went to the break 8-6 to the good.
The other side of the break saw the TopGuns pair further dominate proceedings and they eventually clinched the game 15-7.
The second game saw both pairs win 3 out of the opening 6 points. But at the 4-4 mark, it was the duo of How and Nielsen who went ahead, winning 4 out of the next 5 points to lead 8-5 at the interval.
After the break the pair continued to hold all the aces and they clinched the game 15-8 to get their team off the mark on the night.
Final Scoreline: Hoon Thien How/Joachim Fisher Nielsen beat Chris Adcock /Pranaav Chopra 15-7 15-8
3. Men’s Singles: Kidambi Srikanth (BTG) vs Brice Leverdez (CS)
The opening game saw Srikanth take a 3-0 lead before the Indian stretched it to 5-1 and then extended it to 8-4 at the break. A similar story unfolded at the other end of the break as the World No. 9 demolished his opponent 15-4.
The second game saw both players win 3 out of the opening 6 points and after a topsy-turvy game, it was Leverdez who went 8-7 ahead. Following the interval, it was Srikanth’s racquet that did all the talking as he clinched 7 out of the next 12 points to seal the game and the match in straight games.
Final Scoreline: Kidambi Srikanth beat Brice Leverdez 15-4 15-12
4. Women’s Singles: Suo Di (BTG) vs PV Sindhu (CS)
The opening game saw Suo Di take the upper hand as she took a 4-2 lead, before stretching that advantage to 8-7 at the mid-game interval. The other side of the break saw Di take her lead to 9-8 at which point the Indian took over, winning 6 out of the next 10 points to seal the game 15-12.
The second game started off on an extremely positive note for the Indian as she took a 5-2 lead before stretching it to 8-3 at the break. The other side of the interval saw the Indian absolutely boss proceedings and she clinched the game 15-7.
Final Scoreline: PV Sindhu beat Suo Di 15-12 15-7,
5. Women’s Doubles: Joachim Nielsen/Ashwini Ponnappa (BTG) vs Chris Adcock/Pia Zebadiah (CS) [Trump called by BTG]
The opening game saw the pair of Nielsen and Ponnappa take a 3-1 lead but the Smashers pair fought back to level the score at 4-4. It was the TopGuns pair, however, who took control at that point, going 6-5 up before entering the mid game interval with an 8-6 advantage.
The other side of the break saw the pair further extend their lead, but at the 14-11 mark, the pair of Adcock and Zebadiah came back strongly to win the game 15-14 in a sudden death.
The second game saw both pairs win 2 out of their opening 4 points but after a topsy-turvy start, it was the Smashers who went 8-5 ahead at the break. The other side of the break saw the Smashers pair further stretch their advantage and they sealed the game 15-12.
Final Scoreline: Chris Adcock/Pia Zebadiah beat Joachim Mielsen/Ashwini Ponnappa 15-14 15-12
Final result: Chennai Smashers beat Bengaluru TopGuns 4-1
