The top seed in the mixed doubles category in Yonex Estonian International 2018, Anton Kaisti/Jenny Nyström, is ready to go home after losing after the quarter-final thriller against German Peter Käsbauer/Olga Konon.
Konon and Käsbauer, who took their first tournament victory in December winning Turkey International, were off to a good start leading 8-3 in the first game, but with five point in a row the Finnish closed the gap.
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The rallies in the first game were short, and it was Konon and Käsbauer, who at the moment are ranked number 245 in the World, who had the upper hand. After only 11 minutes of play the Germans won the first game 21-17.
- We started good but struggled a little along the way. We know they are good, and I think we went to the court with too much pressure, Käsbauer says.
See also: All quarter-finals results from Yonex Estonian International 2018
Finnish momentum
In the beginning of the second game the short rallies continued. Jenny Nyström and Anton Kaisti, who won Yonex Estonian International back in 2013, struggled in the first game, but after switching court sides the Finnish were able challenged the German. At the interval Nyström and Kaisti led 11-9.
Nyström and Kaisti, ranked 53 in the World, won second game 21-18.
- We had a little lack of focus in the second game. A lack in concentration, so we knew that we had to do better in third game, Konon said.
- We want to play tomorrow
If the spectators in Tallinn had expected a thriller, they got it. In the beginning of the game none of the two pairs manage to take control. At the interval, the Germans led 11-10.
After the interval the Germans gained control leading 16-12, and after three games and 40 minutes of play Käsbauer and Konon qualified for the semi-finals later Saturday winning 21-16 in the decider.
- We made fast points, and that was good for us. We changed shuttles, but the gap was too big, and that was lucky for us, Käsbauer says.
- It is nice to beat the first seed, but our goal is to win tonight and to play tomorrow, Konon says.
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