Bao Chunlai powers his way into Men’s Singles round-of-16 at the US Open Grand Prix Gold 2011
Experienced Chinese player, Bao Chunlai powered his way into the Men’s Singles round-of-16 by beating England’s Carl Baxter in the second round of the US Open Grand Prix Gold 2011, in California, on Tuesday, July 12.
Chunlai, who is the World Number 11 and fifth seed in the US Open, played his usual aggressive game against Baxter and clinched the match in straight-sets of 35 minutes. The left-handed Chunlai faced no trouble from the English shuttler in the entire match,
as he was playing flawless badminton.
Chunlai opened the game in a relaxed manner and geared up his speed after making a little adjustment with the conditions of the court. The Chinese started to build a good lead by playing to his full potential. His powerful cross-court smashes earned him
a five-point lead in the opening half.
After the 60-second break, Chunlai remained on the right path by playing at the same pace against Baxter, who failed to play positive badminton throughout the first game. Chunlai finished-off the set in tremendous fashion by the margin of 21-13, in 16 minutes.
The second game was more entertaining as Baxter put up strong resistance in the opening part of the game. The score remained tight until the interval, where the fifth seed Chinese managed a three-point gap at 11-8.
After the break, Chunlai started to play deceptive strokes from his back hand side at the net. Baxter kept guessing where his challenger will throw the bird, which made his movement slow. At this stage, Chunlai got the opportunity of building up a good difference.
Chunlai maintained his grip over the game and left no chance for Baxter to fight back. The Chinese grabbed the second game by playing with precision, with the score of 21-15, in 19 minutes. The final score of this two-set 35-minute battle was 21-13 and 21-15.
In the Men’s Singles round-of-16, Chunlai will face Keigo Sonoda of Japan, who emerged as the winner in the second round match against his team-mate, Kazushi Yamada.
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