Taufik rallies to win third round at China Open badminton

Indonesian Hidayat Taufit rallied from one set down to win the third round of the China Open badminton championships on Thursday in Guangzhou.

Obviously far away from his best in the beginning of the first match, Taufit lagged behind 5-14, but managed to catch up the gap from 9-19 to 15-19 against Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand.

However, the Thai resumed his calmness to win the first set 21-14.

From the second set, Taufit showed his genius on the court by taking a 9-2 lead. After Ponsana won five points in a row, the Indonesian leveled the scoreboard 21-16 with backward trick shots and fast speed.

After 5-5 in the decider, Taufit dominated the match by winning 21-12 as he was too fast for his Thai opponent to stage any serious challenge.

Taufit will next meet Chen Jin, the second seed of China.

Lin Dan, the world champion and the winner of Japan Open by beating Taufit 2-1 last Sunday, overcame his teammate Lu Qicheng 21-16 and 21-14 in his 3rd round match.

Source: Xinhua