2012 Bitburger Badminton Open: Arif Abdul Latif intercepts Tobias Wadenka to move into second round
Malaysia’s talented shuttler Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif played impeccable badminton and thrashed Tobias Wadenka in the opening round of Bitburger Badminton Open Grand Prix Gold on October 30, 2012.
This Men’s Singles encounter took place in Saarbrucken, Germany and both contenders challenged each other for 24 minutes before putting a final result of 21-10 and 21-14.
The local badminton arena was jam-packed as a huge crowd assembled to encourage the native shuttler.
However, it was sheer disappointment for the German badminton lovers as Tobias Wadenka knelt down tamely in both games and bid farewell to the home event.
On the other hand, Arif Latif showed consistency in his performance and ensured his presence in the second round of this Grand Prix Gold tournament.
The Malaysian campaigner made his intentions clear straight away in the beginning of first set as he prevailed in three consecutive rallies.
He maintained this rhythm and strengthened his grip by registering a notable figure of six. He gathered four valuable points in a row and placed a mountainous total of 10-4 just before the interval.
After the one-minute break, Arif looked in prime touch as he did not give his rival even a single counter-attack opportunity and swept the table with a huge difference.
He bagged ten out of last fourteen points and finished first set of the match with a significant margin of 21-10.
The following game remained interesting until the half time but it was a one-sided affair after the interval as the German player surrendered tamely.
Though, Tobias Wadenka showed some spark in the establishing rallies but this short campaign was not enough to avoid a straight-set defeat.
Initially, both shuttlers remained equal on points table but then Arif made difference with a decent margin of 7-4. He carried this flow and finished first half of the set with an indomitable score position of 11-6.
After the one-minute interval, the Malaysian shuttler ruled the court in five uninterrupted rallies and raised hands as victor after placing an overwhelming total of 21-14.
This win took him to the second round where he will lock horns with Vitaly Konov of Ukraine.
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