Anand Pawar tames Kazumasa Sakai in Men’s Singles title match of 2012 Scottish International
India’s talented shuttler Anand Pawar played with great precision in the final round of Scottish International and claimed the Men’s Singles crown on November 25, 2012.
He overpowered Kazumasa Sakai of Japan in the title match which was played at the local badminton arena of Glasgow.
This epic tussle remained in full swing for 56 minutes as both contenders made the crowd gasp while piling up final figures of 10-21, 21-11 and 21-17.
Anand Pawar, who was seventh seeded player in this International Challenge, showed commendable fighting spirit and locked the honour despite of losing first set of the match.
On the other hand, the Japanese campaigner could not make best out of his early advantage and knelt down tamely in the ending two games.
Kazumasa Sakai took a great start in the opening game and established an unassailable lead with 11-1 margin.
He played with similar conviction after the one-minute interval and outclassed his competitor in all areas of the game.
Kazumasa bagged valuable points at steady pace and finished this crucial set with a huge difference of eleven points. He placed 21-10 margin to claim the first match point.
However, the story was entirely different in the following game as the spirited Indian campaigner showed a transformed character and brought the contest to the right balance.
Though, Anand Pawar was a bit sluggish in the beginning but a couple of uninterrupted rallies provided him the required momentum.
He started the beating after 6-8 and pocketed five points in a row to pile up an indomitable figure of 11-8.
After the mid-game break, he played with great control and strengthened his grip with 15-10 total. Anand prevailed in the ending six rallies and registered a winning margin of 21-11.
This development made third set consequential and both contenders made every effort to claim this final match point.
Initially, both shuttlers stood toe-to-toe and did not allow each other to establish a notable lead. They pushed each other in all areas of the court and made this a memorable contest.
Finally, this nerve-racking tussle ended when Anand bagged six out of ending eight points to put an overwhelming score of 21-17.
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