Benjamin Hillier beats Alan Wong to win glory at Badminton Hutt Valley Age Group Championships
Benjamin Hillier, an upcoming player from New Zealand, grabbed the Boy’s Singles U17 title after showing his elite skills in the final encounter when he overpowered Alan Wong at the 2012 Badminton Hutt Valley Age Group Championships in New Zealand, on Sunday,
August 26.
The higher ranked Benjamin, who was the second seed in the tournament, played to his maximum potential and managed to win the battle with a decent margin on the board.
The second seeded Benjamin showed a wonderful aggression as he played attacking badminton with impressive speed and defeated his talented opponent in straight games.
On the other hand, the un-seeded Alan Wong played competitive badminton on court as he showed a great resistance in both games but failed to snatch any set from Benjamin and lost the match without creating a strong impact.
The in-form Benjamin played with precision in opening game but he could not construct a reasonable lead as his lower ranked opponent also played attacking and positive badminton.
Both shuttlers put up thrilling show of top class game and remained neck-to-neck in the first half. Until the one-minute interval, they were close on score board.
After the mid-game interval, Benjamin changed his tactics and pushed his rival away from net by executing powerful pushes. He played safe game in the ending points of first set and won it with a 21-18 score on the board.
In the second set, Alan played attacking badminton and created pressure on Benjamin by availing all opportunities to remain in control of the game.
Until the mid-game interval, both shuttlers again failed to take a strong position as played aggressive badminton while remaining positive on court.
After the break, Benjamin tried to inject more power into his shots but failed to set up any difference as his rival also played in the similar fashion.
The score reached at 20-20 when Benjamin employed his impressive skills and took ending points to win the set with a margin of 22-20.
The passionate Benjamin managed to win the final match in straight games with a narrow 21-18 and 22-20 score on the board.
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