Belgian International: Andre Kurniawan Tedjono ousts Kestutis Navickas in Men’s Singles semi-final
Indonesia’s emerging shuttler Andre Kurniawan Tedjono continued his winning run and surged into Men’s Singles final after ousting Lithuania’s Kestutis Navickas in semi-final battle at the Yonex Belgian International 2012 on Saturday, September 15, in Belgium.
The impressive Kurniawan, who was placed at number three in Men’s Singles main draw of the tournament, stretched his winning streak on court and easily registered his mark over the un-seeded Kestutis in just 37 minutes.
Kurniawan has been looking to make his presence felt at world stage for the last couple of years and is now just one step away to win the Men’s Singles title at the Belgian International as he finished off the semi-final clash in straight sets with a convincing
margin.
On the other hand, the lower ranked Kestutis gave a competitive fight in opening set but he failed to create any trouble for his higher ranked Indonesian opponent in the second game and ultimately bowed down to him without showing his lofty craft.
The Indonesian shuttler started his dominating run from opening points as he played positive badminton and managed an impressive 7-1 lead without facing any trouble.
However, Kestutis showed his aggression and scored 7 consecutive points to end the lead of his opponent.
Until the mid-game interval, it was the Indonesian player who set up a small lead on the board by reaching at 11-9.
After the break, Kurniawan played positive badminton without dropping down the pace of rallies but failed to maintain the gap as Kestutis showed a great performance and levelled the score at 14-14.
Nevertheless, Kurniawan proved his mettle at this crucial stage by playing attacking badminton and won the battle with a 21-16 score on the board.
The following set was fantastic at the opening stage as both players snapped each other’s heel until the end of first half and remained close.
After the break, Kurniawan occupied the driving seat by gearing up his speed in all areas and took the game with a smashing 21-13 score on the board.
Kurniawan won this semi-final contest in convincing fashion in just 37 minutes with a superb margin of 21-16 and 21-13.
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