Chennai: Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk did the star turn as North Eastern Warriors pulled off an upset 4-3 win over defending champions Bengaluru Raptors in a Premier Badminton League match here on Tuesday.
With the tie level at 3-3 after four matches, the Thai left-hander scored a 15-7, 15-8 win over Frenchman Brice Leverdez to secure victory. For the Raptors, world No. 2 Tai Tzu Ying put up a masterclass on her return to the PBL as she coasted to an easy 15-7, 15-5 win over rising star Ashmita Chaliha. In a clash of youth and experience, the former World number one’s skills and finesse were too much for the South Asian Games gold medallist to handle.
After trailing 0-4, the youngster rode on her aggression to bag some quickfire points and close the gap between them to two points at 4-6. It was, however, not enough to thwart PBL5’s joint-costliest player as she dashed Chaliha’s hopes to ease to victory. (PTI)