Dechapol and Sapsiree reach first Super Series final
Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai came from behind to beat Kian Meng Tan and Pei Jing Lai of Malaysia 18-21 21-11 21-14 in the semi-finals of the OUE Singapore Open on Saturday.
The world No 11 Thais staged a revenge over the opponents who beat them in the Thailand Open semi-finals last year.
“We played their game and gave them easy shots in the first game. But we tried to attack them at both wings to keep them out of the comfort zone,” said the 24-year-old Sapsiree.
“After the first game I talked to our coach and she said we set up high shots for them to smash. When we did that, they would attack us so we had to attack them first,” said Dechapol.
“Compared to the Thailand Open last year, our teamwork is better. We got each other’s back quite well. And we feel more confident after the Swiss Open,” added Dechaphol.
The Thai pair just celebrated their first win together in the Swiss Open in March. After winning that Grand Prix level, a Super Series crown is their next target.
“We are quite nervous for the first Super Series final. We have nothing to lose and we hope to do our best,” said Sapsiree who won the women’s singles in the 2013 US Open and women’s doubles with Savitree Amitrapai in the 2012 Syed Modi International in 2012 and with Puttita Supajira in the Thailand Open last year.
“Our teamwork is getting better and we are more confident after Switzerland. Of course we want to win this Super Series but we don’t want to put ourselves under pressure. We hope we can put up a top form in the final,”said Dechapol.
After giving in to some nerves at the end of the opener which cost them the first game, the Thai pair recovered fast in the second to establish a 11-4 lead. Thanks to a barrage of errors from the Malaysian pair.
The Thai pair kept their momentum going after the intermission to level the match with superb combination while their opponents were struggling with their game.
In the decider, the Thai team still maintained their solid performance to stride for a 6-1 lead before the world No 10 duo rallied back to fall just a point behind at 7-8.
However, Tan and Pei were inconsistent as they missed several easy points and misread a few shots that landed on court. In the end, Tan sprayed a backhand shot off the court to surrender the encounter.
Dechapol and Sapsiree will play third seeded Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong of China in the Sunday’s final which can be seen on Truesvisions 666.
