Snatching gold from the jaws of defeat, Taiwan won the mixed doubles final yesterday at Geumjeong Tennis Stadium in Busan, South Korea.
An inspired Janet Lee (
PHOTO: REUTERS
It was a great come-from-behind victory that saw Taiwan lose the first set, narrowly take the second, go three down in the third and then save a match point at 6-5 and 40-30, before closing out.
A jubilant Taiwan coach Shih Neng-tung (
"All the way through the match, Lee was composed whatever happened and it had a positive effect on young Lu who became stronger as the match progressed," Shih said.
Taiwan made an early charge in the first set and looked good at 3-0 up. Perhaps there was a smidgen of overconfidence because India clawed its way back into contention.
Lu -- whose right playing arm was heavily strapped -- made a few careless mistakes and Taiwan hemorrhaged, losing six of the next seven games to lose the first set 6-4.
With Lu's touch seeming to have deserted him and after double faulting in the second set, 25-year-old Lee's experience came to the rescue as she turned to her partner.
Speaking to the Taipei Times directly after receiving her gold medal, Lee said she had tried to encourage him. "I just needed to talk to him and maybe change a few strategies to get it right. It happened a few times throughout the match and it seemed to work," Lee said.
Lu composed himself and managed to stop the rot and the Taiwan duo once again streaked ahead to 3-0. It looked like the first set all over again, but this time Taiwan could not afford to lose.
India took one game back and Lu again got stuck on his service. Lee once more took time out to speak to her partner and changed her position at the net. It worked and the couple made it through deuce to lead 4-1.
India got a couple of games back but Taiwan had the upper hand and took the second set 6-3 with a ping-pong rally on set point to set up the decider.
India raced into a 3-0 lead this time and though Lee put her foot down and led Taiwan back into the game a score of 4-1 in favor of India in the final set suggested the end was nigh.
But when the going got tough, Taiwan found something in reserve to pick up the pace a little and make fewer mistakes, getting back into contention, with the score 4-3 in India's favor.
The next four games went with serve and India had its chance to close out on 6-5 with Lee serving. Once again, however, she held her nerve and kept Taiwan in the match, despite a disputed net call early on and facing a match point at 40-30.
It was going to be neck and neck all the way to the end and both Bhupathi and Lu held their serves to even the scores at 7-7.
Lu was showing great coverage around the court now and a series of passing shots from the Taiwan pair managed to break India's serve and Lee was given the chance to finish off at 8-7 with her serve.
A mistake from India, an overhead from Lu, a bad missed volley from Bhupathi and it was all over, 9-7 to Taiwan.
It hadn't been a classic game of tennis by most standards as there were too many faults, but it was gripping stuff and the right result at the end.
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