BENGALURU: For a badminton lover in China, Indonesia, Malaysia or Denmark, watching high-quality and intense matches is a routine. For Indians, that is not the case as India does not have as many international tournaments as some other countries.
But the PBL 2 has been throwing up some interesting match-ups. If it was Sindhu vs Carolina Marin, Viktor Axelsen vs Jan O Jorgensen or the Axelsen vs Tommy Sugiarto contests till now, it was a classic Jorgensen vs Sugiarto encounter here on Sunday.
Though this is a league-based tournament with international players, it could very well be a Superseries tournament. Delhi Acers’ Jorgensen and Chennai Smashers’ Sugiarto squared off in the opening match and that turned out to be a thriller. It served as a reminder of the legendary battles players from Denmark and Indonesia used to have.
The name Sugiarto brings back memories the legendary former world champion Icuk Sugiarto, whose son is Tommy. Icuk had a rivalry with another legendary fellow countryman Indonesian Liem Swie King, who was Prakash Padukone’s contemporary along with Chinese Han Jian. Sunday’s game between World No 2 Jorgensen and Tommy had all the elements of a thriller. There were the long rallies and powerful hitting, while at times it was the slick drop shots or clever placements. The Koramangala Indoor Stadium was almost full and the Sunday crowd was enjoying the action to the hilt.
Jorgensen, who eventually prevailed to put his team 1-0 up, did not have it easy at all. Sugiarto is currently No 21 in the world but he proved that he is very much capable of giving higher-ranked players a tough time. The 2014 World Championships bronze medallist was down 5-9 against the Dane but came back strongly to win the first game 12-10. However, Jorgensen hit back and reminded one and all as to why he is one of the top players in the world. Conceding just four and six points in the next two games, Jorgensen had a firm grip on the match and wrapped up the match.
Many in the audience, particularly the younger people, may not have been totally aware of the history of rivalries between such great badminton nations. But for people who have followed the sport from when Padukone was at his peak and the way he demolished many of the leading players of his time, it would have surely brought back a lot of fond memories. Perhaps, such leagues are key to take badminton forward in India.
vivekphadnis@newindianexpress.com