pbl-2018-north-eastern-warriors-vs-ahmedabad-smash-masters-live

THAT IS ALL FOR TODAY FOLKS!! WHAT A DAY IT HAS BEEN. FROM TAI TZU YING MAKING HER PBL DEBUT TO HS PRANNOY CREATING A RECORD FOR THE MOST NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE PBL WINS, IT HAS BEEN QUITE A RIDE. SHIN BAEK CHEOL DESERVES SPECIAL MENTION FOR THE WAY HE EARNED HIS SIDE THREE POINTS IN TWO DOUBLES GAMES.

The South Korean pair fight back in the second game to win the match. Shin Baek Cheol & Kim Gi Jung beat Lee Reginald & Law Cheuk Him 15-8, 15-11.

Despite winning their trump match, the @NEShuttlers lose the tie 3-4.#NEWvAMD #VodafonePBL #SmashTheHouseDown pic.twitter.com/o1MYI1a75V

— PBL India (@PBLIndiaLive) December 26, 2017

After Reginald wins the Masters a point, he hits one wide and that is the sound of the fat lady singing. GAME and MATCH North Eastern Warriors.

MATCH POINT!!!

Just two points away from a consolation win. This looks ominous though.

This is just breathtaking. If a youngster wants to learn how to play doubles, this is all they need to see. Exceptional!!

And we are level again. But this time it's Jung who will get all the praise. Some exceptional placing by the Korean brings the Warriors on par.

Make that two. Great play by him. He just pushes the shuttle past Jung to make it a two-point lead.

And they go into the second half of the game with a one-point lead. 

The Smash Masters are staying in the game but only just. They have been outplayed so far but their experience has kept them in the second.

This is turning into quite a game now. Great play by Reginald.

And they have taken the lead again. This is a great play by the Warriors. Its one-way traffic again.

Oh!! this is just exceptional badminton! After defending what looked like an eternity defending, Jung comes up with a perfect push to level the game.

Can the Hong Kong duo fight back now? Well, they have taken the first point. 

The NE Warriors take the 1st set 15-8 against the #SmashMasters. But the 2nd set promises some more smashing action from our men's doubles duo. Stay tuned!#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

And that is all he wrote!!! What a performance against the World No. 30s. Cheol is going to leave Guwahati with a bunch of new fans today.

This is a dominant display by the Warriors. they now lead by four points. 

The audience is cheering on every smash and return. Scores at the half way mark read 6-8 in favor of the #SmashMasters#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

The regular ASM pair is reeling here. Whether it is the constant pressure by the Warriors or the crowd influence, we might never know.

What a performance by Cheol. As soon as Cheol jumps for a smash, the crowd goes berserk. Cheol has taken the hosts into the break with a two-point lead. 

No, they can't. Cheol is just continuing from where he had left off in his first match. Smash after smash after smash. We are level again.

And again the Ahmedabad team take up a two-point lead. Can they keep it this time?

After a couple of points by Reginald and Him, Cheol comes up with two big smashes to level the game again.

Jung with a couple of great returns to level the game after Reginald had given the Smash Masters a two-point lead.

A quick start by Ahmedabad again as Jung commits an unforced error.

Cheol and Reginald are back on the court. This time with different partners though. Men's doubles starts now. 

SO CLOSE!

Prannoy snatched the win from Wang Tzu Wei right at the last moment and made it 8 consecutive wins on the trot in #VodafonPBL! #NEWvAMD #SmashTheHouseDown pic.twitter.com/hm2nfoG1cF

— PBL India (@PBLIndiaLive) December 26, 2017

I think he played well too. A couple of loose shots in the second half of the second game helped me a lot. I was lucky enough to win the game and very happy as well. To start the season on a winning note is great for me. But I know it is going to be a bit tougher than last year. But I will try to keep this momentum going. It is a great team to be with Ahmedabad Smash Masters. This is a great franchise. I need to do really well here to get to the rhythm of the hectic schedule ahead.

Don't go away though. We still have one more game to play.

While the win gives Prannoy the record for the most number of PBL wins in the row, more importantly, Ahmedabad have won their first ever match in the PBL.

That was what we call an incredibly powerful performance by @PRANNOYHSPRI & him pointing to his team mates in the dugout says it all! He takes the 2nd men's single 15-10, 15-14 in favor of the #SmashMasters. A true champion!#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

WHAT HAS PRANNOY HAD THIS MORNING!!! WHAT A WIN... This has to be one of the best comebacks that the PBL has ever seen.

AND WE ARE LEVEL... NEXT POINT WINS

ONE POINT GAME... WHAT A COMEBACK BY THE INDIAN... HE LOOKED DEAD AND BURIED...

A 317 kmph smash gives Wang game point but Prannoy gets a couple of quick points including a diving pick followed by a wonderful winner.

Finally, a point for Prannoy but Wang is fighting back with a performance to remember. A decider is on the cards.

Prannoy looks short on confidence now. He just let a drove go past him that fell a few inches inside.

After both players exchanged a point apiece, Wang ups the ante and forces the error from Prannoy.

GAME ON!!! Three on the spin for Wang. What a finish we have at our hands here.

Wang is not going away though. He forces an error and follows it up with a brilliant deceptive backhand.

Simply brilliant by @PRANNOYHSPRI . Excellent net game on display here! The #SmashMaster leads half way through the 2nd set with the score reading 8-5#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

Yet another war cry from Prannoy takes us into the mid-game break. This has been some show by the Indian ace so far. Can he close it out though?

Prannoy is picking up th pace again and races to a 7-4 lead. 

4⃣0⃣1⃣ kmph!

That monstrous smash by Prannoy has left the court rattled! Fastest smash of the season so far.#NEWvAMD #VodafonePBL #SmashTheHouseDown

— PBL India (@PBLIndiaLive) December 26, 2017

Wang replies to a yet another big smash from Prannoy with some great defence and produces a winner at the end to keep Prannoy at arm's length.

Wang is fighting back though. He wins two points out of three the second at the net to make it a one-point game.

OH MY MY!!! 401 kmph. Let me repeat that FOUR HUNDRED AND ONE KILOMETERS PER HOUR. That was some smash by the Indian.

Prannoy at it again. He sets up a smash with an exceptional backhand to level things up in the second.

Wonderful netplay by Wang. He takes the lead in the second.

An unforced error by the opponent helped seal the 1st set in the #SmashMaster's favor. @PRANNOYHSPRI wins the set 15-10#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

This is brilliant play by the Indian player. He takes the first game by forcing Wang into an error. This is set up nicely for the second game. Wang needs to get back or else the match is up.

Big mistake. Wang tries to beat Prannoy at the net again. The result is the same. Prannoy brings up game point.

THREE POINT GAME NOW... WHAT A COMEBACK!!

Hang on. Prannoy is making some basic mistakes now. His long drive is well wide, even for doubles. Can Wang get back into this one?

Great play at the net by the Indian. He has improved there by leaps and bounds over the last year. There seems to be a sense of eventuality in this game now.

Wang is fighting back. Two points on the spin see him reduce the deficit to just three points now.

After winning another point, he gifts one away. Prannoy still has his 5 point lead though.

After two exceptional picks, Prannoy pounces on the first chance he gets and smashes his point into Wang to go 9-4 up.

Great work by the Indian, who gets two back to back points to head into the interval by four points.

After a misjudgment by Wang, Prannoy picks up a rapid Wang smash by putting in a dive and the latter hits it long. The two-point lead has been restored. How long can he keep it this time?

Again uncharacteristic errors by Prannoy bring Wang back level. He needs to get his act together.

Wang lets one drop at the sideline but the shuttle catches the line. It's a two-point game now.

He gives away his lead with two unforced errors and breaks his racquet in the process.

The tie reads 3-1 in the favour of the #SmashMasters. Up next is our captain and World No. 10 @PRANNOYHSPRI taking on NE Warriors’ Tzu Wei Wang. Neither are known to bow out of a fight. This is going to be interesting folks!#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD pic.twitter.com/E8EuP8w3wf

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

And Prannoy gets off to a flyer. That "Taufiq Hidayat backhand" gets him two quick points. 

Wei to kick us off here in Guwahati.

Prannoy is level with PV Sindhu for the most number of consecutive wins in the PBL. If he can win he has the record all to himself.

And that's a wrap for the Women's Singles. Tai Tzu Ying brings home the 2 crutial points. She wins her bout 15-6, 15-10 and makes it 3-1 for the #SmashMasters on the points table!#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

Next up we have Wang Tzu Wei facing off against HS Prannoy. A win for Prannoy would earn the Smash Masters their first ever win in the PBL. This is the game of the day and now it has a great backdrop as well. Prannoy didn't lose a single game in last season's PBL. Can he keep his run going?

THAT WAS A BIG WIN. THE SMASH MASTERS NEEDED THIS ONE.

THAT"S ALL FOLKS. We now need to wait for three more days to see Tai in action again. The final point was a highlight of the entire game. Li tries her best to stay in touch with the brilliant Tai but it's not even close to being enough. She absolutely dominates her opponent to secure the match.

That seems to have taken the fight out of Li. It's only a matter of time now.

SHOT OF THE DAY!!! Li hits the shuttle into the backcourt on the deuce side but somehow, Tai running backwards, hits a cross-court winner with her back to her opponent. 

AND SHE HAS TAKEN THE LEAD. A powerful smash into Tai's body gets her the lead back.

BRILLIANT!!! Tai hits one long before Li comes up with an inside-out smash to level the game.

And she heads into the break with a two-point lead. A brilliant Tai drop is returned by Li, but the shuttle is slightly above the tape. That's all Tai needs. She hits the smash into Li's body.

Li picks up two smashes, but Tai is quick to pounce and convert the third. She is finally level in the game.

That is not going to get it done. Two back to back unforced errors from Li brings reduces the deficit to just one point.

Li is coming into her own now. Tai tries to up the tempo but can't find the corners. Li ends up just placing the shot in the deuce court.

Li isn't done yet. She is forcing Tai to play longer rallies and coming out on top. After winning a point she forces Tai to go for a challenge and wins it to increase her lead to two points.

After forcing an error, a typical deceptive drop sets up the smash-winner.

Great play by Li. She is making Tai use her legs now. The question is - Can she keep it up?

And a comfortable 1st set win for #SmashMaster Tai Tzu Ying, winning it 15-6. Something tells me the trump points are already in our bag#GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

Maybe that's how Li can beat Tai. Li's drop hits the tape and turns over on Tai's side.

Tai will start off the second now.

This is going to be a big ask for Li to come back from this one. Stranger things have happened in badminton though. Not saying it will happen though.

WHAT A SHOT. The Queen of deception is at it again. She looks stranded at the net but just as Li tries to come forward, a flick of the wrist by Tai sees the shuttle end up in the backcourt. Tai takes the first game comfortably.

Li didn't deserve that!! She has Tai scampering towards the backcourt but Tai still manages to produce a perfect drop. How does she do this?

Li just can't keep up with the 23-year-old. Two more points by Tai who is playing at pace and wants this done.

Two back to back points for Li. The second one though, a great deceptive shot from Tai, had her beat hands down.

Two more points for Tai. She is showing her class here.

This is incredible. Two more points for Tai and before the home crowd can react, we are into the mid-game break with the Taiwanese having a six-point lead.

After Tai wins another point, Li fights back with a smash that Tai can't keep in play.

Good judgment by Tai again. This one could be done soon.

After a good leave, Tai hits a fierce body smash to extend her lead to three points.

Just like that, we are level. Tai attacks the serve to draw level before a well-disguised shot earns her the lead.

And she gets the first point.

Li will start proceedings here. Here we go...

The point table reads 1-1 to both the sides. But the tables are due to turn in our favour as the #SmashMasters are set to begin their trump match being played by their ace shuttler Tai Tzu Ying #GujaratNuGaurav #NEWvAMD pic.twitter.com/wnEPFsQD4a

— AMD Smash Masters (@amdsmashmasters) December 26, 2017

Li can take solace from the fact that she has beaten Tai once before. But that was a long time back.