2012 Korea Open: Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif beats Takuya Kotaka to surge into pre quarter-final round
Men’s Singles expert Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif played with great precision and thrashed Takuya Kotaka to ensure his presence in the pre quarter-finals of Korea Grand Prix Gold on December 5, 2012.
World Number 36 shuttler, who holds top spot in the tournament ranking, displayed commendable fighting spirit and locked the honour despite slipping down in the opening game.
Arif Latif had to sweat hard for three gruelling sets to read favourable result of 17-21, 21-17 and 21-14.
This second round match was played at the local badminton complex of Hwasun-gun, Korea and the Malaysian campaigner proved his worth by sealing a 2-1 victory.
However, it was not a smooth road to victory as the Japanese contender performed beyond expectations and amazed everyone by winning the first set.
Takuya Kotaka did not show any sign of confusion in front of the higher ranked competitor and played with great conviction to gain an early advantage.
He set the ball rolling without any delay and got into commanding position before the interval. Latter part of the game was also dominated by Takuya as he ruled the court in final stage and placed a winning margin of 21-17.
However, things were not that easy for the Japanese player in the next game as Arif Latif showed his class and brought life back into contest.
This time the experienced Malaysian shuttler did not repeat his previous mistakes and maintained the upper hand in most part of the second set.
Though, he lost grip in middle of this crucial game but then few back-to-back productive rallies helped him to reinstate his dominance.
Arif mounted pressure by putting a notable figure of 11 and then relished full benefits of this initial lead to pile up an overwhelming total of 21-17.
Unexpectedly, third set proved a dead contest as Takuya Kotaka could not perform according to the game plan and knelt down tamely.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian campaigner did not lose focus at any stage and swept the table with a favourable score of 21-14.
Now Arif Latif will lock horns with Sung Min Park of Korea to gain access to the quarter-finals of this GP Gold event.
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