Drama in Da Nang: Bhatia/Navratil Defeat Johns/Bar in Thriller

Armaan Bhatia and Zane Navratil brought the drama directly to Da Nang on Friday, defeating top seeds and superstar duo Ben Johns and Dekel Bar 2-1 (11-4, 8-11, 13-11) in a Men’s Doubles semifinal that had the crowd on their feet at the MB Vietnam Cup.

The underdogs burst out of the gates with Bhatia’s backhand soaring as he leapt around the court, finding holes and exploiting angles against the favored pair. But momentum swung back as Bar took control in the second, getting pumped up and energizing the crowd. Johns, smooth as ever, looked in complete command as the top seeds cruised through game two and built a commanding lead in the decider.

Then came a drastic change of the tide. Well picked leaves by Navratil and Bhatia forced Johns into uncharacteristic errors, his backhand sailing long at crucial moments. A 7-2 advantage evaporated to 8-10 down without the serve. Two match points saved became three, then four, as the America/India duo clawed their way back from the brink.

On their first championship point, Bhatia and Navratil converted to secure the tournament’s biggest upsets and book their spot in Saturday’s gold medal match. The victory marks only Navratil’s second PPA doubles win over Johns in 13 career encounters.

Women’s Singles Delivers Double Upset

Friday’s semifinals continued the week’s theme of unpredictability as seeds in Women’s Singles crashed out.

Liz Truluck pulled off a surprise upset, denying Kaitlyn Christian a shot at back-to-back titles. After exchanging games, the drama peaked in the decider where Christian built commanding leads of 8-1 and 9-5, only to watch Truluck storm back with her booming backhand finding every corner. Christian’s relentless court coverage and forehand angles were subdued as Truluck found a way to claim the comeback victory 2-1 (5-11, 11-8, 11-9).

The win means the 25-year-old has locked up her first ever PPA Women’s Singles medal.

In the opposite semifinal, Sahra Dennehy continued her giant-killing run with a 2-1 (11-3, 6-11, 11-4) victory over Roos van Reek. The Australian avenged last week’s Malaysia loss and flipped the odds on the season head-to-head, setting up an unexpected all-underdog Women’s Singles final. Dennehy will come into the final brimming with confidence, having eliminated Truluck last week at the Panas Malaysia Cup.

Home Court Defended

Vietnam will be keeping the silverware at home in the Men’s Singles as Phuc Huynh ended the hopes of China’s Thomas Yu in straight games (11-7, 11-5). Joining him in the all-Vietnamese final will be Hien Truong who edged out Hoang Nam Ly 2-1 (5-11, 11-9, 11-6).

Saturday’s bronze medal matches begin at 8am (GMT+7), with finals starting not before 1pm (GMT+7).