Austrian International Challenge: Sameer Verma topples Luka Petric in Men’s Singles qualifying round
India’s young and spirited player Sameer Verma showed a strong character on court as he toppled Slovenia’s Luka Petric in emphatic fashion in the Men’s Singles qualifying round of Austrian International Challenge 2012 on Wednesday, February 22, in Austria.
Sameer, who has been playing remarkable badminton for the last one year and has earned a wonderful repute in India, was in smashing form as he put up a superb show against Petric and ended the match in straight games by taking just 26 minutes.
On the other hand, Petric competed well in the opening set but failed to put up strong resistance in the second game and lost the match without making an impact on his Indian rival.
Both players started the opening game in an attacking way as they employed powerful smashes to put pressure on each other but failed to set up a considerable lead.
The sharp reflexes and cracking strokes of both shuttlers grabbed the attention of local crowd. They remained close until the one-minute interval where Petric managed a small lead of 11-9.
After the break, Sameer geared up his speed and levelled the score at 12-12. Both men kept on snapping each other’s heel by remaining focused and positive in the game. They remained equal until the ending phase of first set.
In the ending points, Sameer became quicker at net and created opportunities to bury the bird into his rival’s court with his powerful smashes. He took advantage in the match by taking the opening game with a 21-18 score on the board.
In the second set, Sameer delivered phenomenal performance when he scored 10 consecutive points and remained successful in setting up an incredible lead of 11-1 until the break.
On the other hand, Petric was clearly lacking the speed and he completely failed to compete well against his spirited opponent.
After the one-minute interval, the in-form Indian remained on track and progressed in the game without facing any interruption from his challenger. He ended the second set easily with a striking margin of 21-8.
Sameer registered a comprehensive victory over Petric by ending the match in straight games with an impressive score of 21-18 and 21-8.
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