Local shuttler Thng Ting Ting falls to Nguyen Nhung Le Ngoc in Singapore Badminton Open

Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports.

Singapore Indoor Stadium, Tuesday, June 9, 2009 – Despite clinching a nail-biting first set, Singapore's Thng Ting Ting fell to Vietnam's Nguyen Nhung Le Ngoc in three games of 19-21, 21-10, 21-17 in the qualifying day of the 2009 Singapore Badminton Open.

Ting Ting didn’t take long to settle into the match while her Vietnamese opponent had a nervous start as Le Ngoc sent a service long to open the match. Le Ngoc made a swift recovery from her service error to win the next two points and took the lead, but a smash down the line by Ting Ting leveled things up 2-2.

Both players then traded points as they fought to gain control of the game and not more than 3 points separated the players in the first game. Ting Ting did well to make her opponent scramble around the court with strong smashes and drop shots arrowed at her backhand as she gained an important lead at 19-17.

Le Ngoc sent a shuttle out to give Ting Ting game point before her drop shot found the net to squander the first game 19-21. Undisturbed by the narrow defeat, Le Ngoc came out fighting in the second game as she raced to a 3-0 lead.

Frustration soon crept into Ting Ting's game as a series of unforced errors by Ting Ting allowed Le Ngoc to storm to a 13-7 lead. Ting Ting was either sending the shuttle into the net or placing it wide, so it didn't take long for her to be confronted with game point and eventually, the tiebreaker.

Nothing changed at the start of the rubber set as Ting Ting continued to commit unforced errors. Though the Singaporean did increase her variety of quality shots that caught Le Ngoc wrong-footed on several occassions. Ting Ting also attempted to increase the pace of her game as the match went point-for-point.

With the score standing at 19-17 in favour of Le Ngoc, unforced errors continued to be Ting Ting’s curse as Le Ngoc was bequeathed match point when Ting Ting placed a shot out. Soon after, the 25-year-old Vietnamese wrapped up the match with a fantastic drop shot that was beyond Ting Ting’s reach.

Ting Ting commented after the match, "I knew her defense was weak, so I attacked her backhand. It was a good match, but I played too rush and committed many errors. After the second game, I felt it was game over, but I told myself to keep my shots in."

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