Arif Latif one step away from main round of Singapore Open 2012 – Badminton News
Malaysia’s spirited shuttler Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif has one leg in main round of Li Ning Singapore Open as he stamped Yong Zhao Ashton Chen in qualifying round on Tuesday, June 19, 2012.
Both contenders played entertaining badminton for 66 minutes and ended this nerve-racking tussle with final results of 17-21, 21-12 and 18-21.
The Singapore Indoor Stadium was filled to its brim as huge crowd was there to support the local shuttler in his opening match of home event.
World Number 58 player Arif Latif, who has come down significantly in last couple of months, proved his mettle and silenced the crowd with a thundering performance.
On the other hand, Yong Zhao disappointed his supporters as he failed to rise in most part of the game.
In opening set of the match, the Malaysian took some time to read his rival’s game. He could not gain permanent edge and kept trailing behind until 10-11 before the announcement of break.
After one-minute break, Arif changed his tactics and played with right attitude and fortitude. He gathered four consecutive points and took his total to 14-11.
He maintained that rhythm in concluding part of the game and bagged first set with a notable margin of 21-17.
The native shuttler aroused hopes of his local fans by levelling match score in very next game. World Number 60 Yong Zhao did not allow his higher ranked competitor to proceed easily.
He set the foundation of his authority from very first stroke and relished this advantage all the way to game point situation.
In first half, the Singaporean campaigner swiftly established a six-point lead and reached 11-8 despite losing a couple of crucial points.
After the interval, he doubled the lead with 15-9 margin and then finished second set with a significant difference in 21-12 score on the board.
At this critical stage, Arif showed strong character and sealed a splendid 2-1 victory. He set the ball rolling by putting 11-6 before half time and then wrapped the show with decisive figure of 21-18.
His next challenge will be to surpass Andre Kurniawan Tedjono of Indonesia in final encounter of qualifying round.
Tags: