YONEX Thailand Open: Young Brigade Runs Out of Steam
A youthful charge into the finals of the YONEX Thailand Open was very much on the cards today, but it was stymied by craftier, more experienced hands.
· DEV SUKUMAR
First it was Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue. Then followed Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin, and finally An Se Young.
Gicquel and Delrue, both 22 and knocking on the doors of the top 10 – a remarkable achievement illustrating their rapid progress – had Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti in discomfort all through their 46-minute encounter. The French were annoyed with themselves for what they considered a sub-par performance, but in fact they had stood up well against the formidable skills of their Indonesian opponents, so much so that Jordan got few smash winners in the entire second game.
It was a sticky affair, full of jabs and placements rather than rapid-fire exchanges, with Delrue and Oktavianti vying for dominance of the net. Jordan’s smash, usually a sure-shot winner, was handled well by the French duo.