2012 Macau Open: Cheng Chi Ya beats Maziyyah Nadhir in Women’s Singles opening round
Women’s Singles campaigner Cheng Chi Ya of Chinese Taipei secured a pre quarter-final berth in Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix Gold after beating Maziyyah Nadhir on November 28, 2012.
Both contenders remained head-to-head for three gruelling sets and finally this hard fought battle ended with decisive figures of 18-21, 21-12 and 21-19.
The Indonesian player took off in perfect manner and bagged the opening match point on merit but she could not go with the same flow in the ending two games.
On the other hand, the victorious shuttler displayed commendable fighting spirit and locked the honour despite of going down in the first set.
Cheng Chi, who was underrated player earlier in this GP Gold tournament, registered her presence by sealing this splendid win.
However, it was not an easy win as she had to face a severe blow in the very first set when the opposing shuttler cornered her with an unbeatable strategy.
Maziyyah made her intentions clear by prevailing in five establishing rallies without any interruption and then mounted pressure by piling up an indomitable figure of 11.
Later part of the game was also dominated by the Indonesian campaigner as she played with similar conviction and placed a winning margin of 21-18.
The following game changed the scenario as Cheng Chi stormed back with a strong reply and brought the contest to right balance.
This time she played with positive approach and outclassed her competitor in all areas of the game.
She started the ball rolling with three successive points after 1-1 and then capitalised this momentum to finish the first half of the set with a favourable score position of 11-4.
After the mid-game break, Cheng Chi pushed her rival in all areas of the court and kept Maziyyah busy just in returning her masterly crafted strokes. She swept the table with a staggering knock of 21-12 and setup a nerve-racking third set.
The decider kept swinging between both contenders until the final moments as neither of them could establish a permanent lead. Finally, this cliff-hanging tussle ended when Cheng Chi placed a significant score of 21-19.
Now she will lock horns with Xuan Deng of China in the pre quarter-final round.
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