Opening day defeat, United States duo responds to claim title

(by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor)
Opening day defeat, United States duo responds to claim title
Beaten one day earlier in the initial phase of proceedings but first place in the group secured on match ratio, the United States duo comprising Nikhill Kumar and Michael Tran won the Cadet Boys’ Team title at the Hang Seng 2017 Hong Kong Junior and Cadet Open.

The no.3 seeds, after recording a three-one quarter-final success against the Indian outfit comprising Chitrax Bhatt, Dhairya Parmar and Vishwa Deenadayalan; it was the hosts who were put to the sword.

A three matches to nil success was recorded in opposition to the Hong Kong ‘B’ Team comprising Lau Chun Kit and Wong Hon Lam, before a full distance three-two success was posted against the Hong Kong ‘A’ Team duo of Maurice Chong Kai Ning and Yiu Kwan To, the top seeds.

Mainstay of the victory in the final was Michael Tran; he accounted for Yiu Kwan To (11-5, 11-3, 12-10) in the opening match of the engagement, before in the fourth encounter overcoming Maurice Chong Kai Ning by the very narrowest of margins (11-13, 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 12-10).

Success for Michael Tran set the scene for Nikhil Kumar to be the hero of the hour; he accounted for Yiu Kwan To to seal the victory (11-7, 11-6, 11-6). The wins for Hong Kong both came in tense full distance encounters; in the second match of the fixture, Maurice Chong Kai Ning beat Nikhil Kumar (11-7, 9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 13-11), one match later Maurice Chong Kai Ning and Yiu Kwan To secured the doubles (11-8, 4-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7).

Meanwhile, in the opposite half of the draw, Maurice Chong Kai Ning and Yiu Kwan To overcame Thailand’s Chetthanabodi Chanpen and Thyme Sanglertsilpachai by three matches to one before recording a three-two success against Singapore’s Pang Yew En Koen and Andy Wong Yan Kai.

The player to cause the eventual silver medallists problems was Pang Yew En Koen; he beat both Yiu Kwan To (9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 13-11) and Maurice Chong Kai Ning (11-7, 5-11, 11-7, 14-12).

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