2013 India Open: Kenichi Tago secures a semi-final berth in Men’s Singles event
Men’s Singles player Kenichi Tago continued his unbeatable run in the quarter-finals of Yonex Sunrise India Open and marched into semi-final round on Friday, April 26, 2013.
He faced a local shuttler Sai Praneeth B and this encounter lasted for 62 minutes in the local badminton arena of New Delhi.
The Japanese campaigner ruled the court in the opening and ending games with 21-17 and 21-11 totals whereas the Indian shuttler could rise only in the middle part of battle with 21-19 score.
With this victory, Kenichi Tago setup his next clash with another native shuttler Anand Pawar in second last round of this prestigious event.
After his staggering knock in the round of eight, the badminton pundits are declaring him hot favourite to become a finalist.
Kenichi Tago looked in prime touch during his last appearance as he unleashed an intensive invasion and established a decent lead in first set.
He did not show any mercy in next couple of rallies and doubled his total way before the half time. After the mid-game break, he played with an aggressive approach and won this crucial match point with 21-17 score on the board.
However, things were not that much easy for him in the following game as the Indian lad showed a transformed character.
This time Sai Praneeth improvised his strategy and played with an authoritative approach. His aggression on the court fetched many valuable points for him.
Though, he made some mistakes just before the interval and allowed the opposing shuttler to proceed but then few back-to-back productive rallies reinstated his dominance.
In latter part of the game, both shuttlers mesmerised the crowd with their breathtaking performance. They remained equal on points table until the final moments and this nerve-racking tussle ended when Sai Praneeth registered a winning margin of 21-19.
The decider was expected to be a tough trial for both shuttlers as they were looking to pocket this final match point.
However, Kenichi Tago proved all the predictions wrong as he did not give his challenger even a single chance to rise from the dust.
He placed an overwhelming figure of 21-11 and marched into semi-final round of India Open.
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