2012 Slovak Open: Misbun Shawal tames Zinukhov Andriy in Men’s Singles qualification round
Malaysia’s budding shuttler Mohmed Misbun Misbun Shawal had a perfect start in the Victor Slovak Open as he cast out Zinukhov Andriy in the qualification round on September 6, 2012.
This Men’s Singles match, played at local badminton arena of Presov in Slovakia, kept both shuttlers busy on the court for 30 minutes before ending with 21-17 and 21-17 margin.
The young but talented Malaysian alarmed all the contestants by sealing a straight-set win and moved into the second stage of qualification round where he will be up against a local shuttler David Balucha.
In his opening match, Misbun Shawal tipped the scale in his favour straight away in the first set. He ruled the court in most part of the game and bagged a vital match point with distinction.
He started the ball rolling by prevailing in a couple of uninterrupted rallies and then maintained this rhythm all the way to mid-game break.
The Ukrainian campaigner strived hard to come out of the deficit but he could not hit the mark in the first half.
However, he showed a transformed character immediately after the interval and brought life back into the contest.
He masterly controlled the bird and put his challenger under huge pressure with a flurry of well placed strokes.
In third quarter of the set, both shuttlers were standing equal in score position but then Misbun proved himself superior in that pressure situation.
The Malaysian lad bagged some vital points without any interruption and cruised to victory with 21-17 margin.
This timely win boosted his confidence and he played with more conviction in the following game.
Misbun launched a brisk attack and gained an early advantage. He did not give his competitor even a single counter-attack opportunity and stayed in a commanding position until the break.
Later part of the game saw him making some fatal mistakes which allowed Zinukhov to narrow the gap.
The Ukrainian shuttler did not squander this opportunity and added couple of successive points in his total.
Though, he maintained a decent lead until final moments but luck was not on his side as he had to surrender when Misbun managed to put a favourable result of 21-17.
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