Akashraj Murthy, Vishal Bhat clinch semi-final spot in 2012 State Ranking Badminton Tournament
The talented youngsters Akashraj Murthy and Vishal R Bhat secured a berth in the semi-finals of Boy’s Doubles Under-17 category in Udupi 5 Star State Ranking Badminton Tournament on July 10, 2012.
They trounced Dhruv M-Rohit Karnatak in quarter-final match which was played at local badminton court in Udupi, India.
This hard fought battle was resolved in three games with final result of 21-18, 12-21 and 21-14.
The victorious team sealed a splendid 2-1 victory and setup next encounter with top seeded duo Harshith Agarwal-Sankeerth B R in second last round of the event.
Though, it will be a huge task for Akashraj-Vishal to overcome higher ranked opponents but they surely will utilise their valuable experience of the previous rounds.
In round of eight, they opened their campaign with great conviction and bagged a crucial match point.
They gained the upper hand immediately after a couple of opening rallies and maintained this edge all the way to mid-game break.
The opposing team hardly put any resistance in the first half and allowed them to place a mountainous total of 11-5.
However, later part of the game was exciting as Dhruv and Rohit showed laudable fighting spirit at the end.
They caught their rivals at a critical stage of 17-17 but could not finish this race with a favourable manner.
The twosome of Akashraj and Vishal wrapped this segment of the show with 21-18 score on the board.
However, the following game completely changed the scenario as the suppressed duo of first set bounced back into the match with a strong reply.
This time Dhruv and Rohit did not repeat previous mistakes and gained an unassailable lead with 11-5 in first half.
They cornered their challengers after the interval and raised their total to 17-9. This eight-point gap was never covered and they won the second set with a 21-12 margin.
Third set was expected to be a nerve-racking contest as both teams were standing equal in match score position.
Though, both contenders remained toe-to-toe until one-minute break but they were poles apart in second half of the decider.
Akashraj and Vishal made up the difference with 16-10 and then served notice of their supremacy with decisive figure of 21-14.
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