Tommy Sugiarto helps Aces pull level

A come-from-behind win by world no. 11 Tommy Sugiarto helped Delhi Acers level the points with Mumbai Rockets in the title clash of the Premier Badminton League Season 2 here on Sunday.

Tommy rallied from a game down to overcome an equally impressive H.S. Prannoy 13-15, 15-9, 15-9 as the hosts drew parity 1-1, after conceding early.

Earlier, Mumbai Rockets were off to a rousing start when their experienced mixed doubles pair of Kamila Juhl and Vladimir Ivanov crushed Delhi’s Akshay Dewalkar and Gabrielle Adcock 15-6, 15-12.

Juhl and Ivanov completely dominated the tie, hardly leaving any room for the Delhi duo. However, Dewalkar and Adcock — backed by a vociferous crowd — led 7-4 early in the second game but could not maintain the momentum.

In the first men’s singles game, Tommy and Prannoy were at their attacking best. However, in the end it was better fitness that held Tommy in good stead.

Prannoy, it seemed, had given too much in the first game and that left him drained. He entertained the crowd with his down the line smashes and net flicks in the first game, but soon his energy levels dropped.

Tommy, on the other hand, was consistent and showcased some sharp returns as the Mumbai player struggled with his shots — either hitting wide or in the nets, forcing the game to a decider.

The third one was a one-sided affair in the Indonesian’s favour — who had earlier stunned Lee Chong Wei at the same venue in the league stages. Trailing 7-14, Prannoy though saved three match points before conceding the match.

Much to the delight of the weekend crowd, brand ambassador Akshay Kumar and Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan played an exhibition game pairing up with P.V. Sindhu and Jwala Gutta, respectively.