Indian Badminton League: Lee Chong Wei, Tine Baun lead Mumbai to 4-1 victory vs Delhi
The duo won their respective singles ties and teamed up together in mixed doubles as the Masters out played the Smashers.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: August 21, 2013 12:54 AM IST
World number 1 Lee Chong Wei and former women's world number 1 Tine Baun powered Mumbai Masters to a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Krissh Delhi Smashers in the Indian Badminton League at the NSCI Stadium courts here on Tuesday.
Lee eased his way past his compatriot Daren Liew in the first men's singles before All England women's champion Tine Baun followed suit to provide a flying 2-0 start to Mumbai. (IBL Day 6, as it happened)
Lee, who missed Mumbai's first two ties against Banga Beats and Pune Pistons as he joined the team just before this clash, raced away to a 21-12, 21-16 victory over Liew, ranked world number 17, in 35 minutes to help the hosts take a 1-0 lead. (In Pics: Mumbai rout Delhi)
Baun - who retired from international badminton after winning her third All England title in March and is ranked 11th in the BWF rankings, crushed former national champion Arundhati Pantawane, ranked 54th, 21-11 21-13 in just over half an hour to increase Mumbai's advantage.
Delhi narrowed Mumbai's lead to 2-1 when their top Malaysian men's doubles combination of Kon Kiet Keat and Tan Boon Hoeng rallied after dropping the opening game to defeat the young Indian duo of Sumeet Reddy and Manu Attri 14-21 21-15 11-7.
However, Mumbai's gamble of fielding European champion Marc Zwiebler instead of the successful Russian Vladimir Ivanov came good as the German beat his young Indian rival B Sai Praneeth 18-21 2-10 11-9.
Having sewed up the tie, Lee and Baun combined forces to clinch the last clash - the mixed doubles match - by overcoming Delhi's pair of V Diju and Prajakta Sawant 21-18 15-21 11-5.
This was Mumbai's second victory in the league, having earlier defeated Banga Beats before losing to state rivals Pune Pistons. After the victory Mumbai have 11 points while Delhi have seven.