Dicky Palyama narrowly wins against Srikanth K. in first round of Austrian International Challenge
Nederland’s experienced player Dicky Palyama remained lucky as he narrowly defeated the lower ranked Srikanth K. of India in Men’s Singles first round at the Austrian International Challenge 2012 on Thursday, February 23, in Austria.
Palyama, who is World Number 47 at the moment, remained lucky in winning this three-set contest with a narrow margin by consuming 47 minutes in the court.
In the opening set, Srikanth showed wonderful play against the higher ranked Dutch opponent and remained close to him in the opening half.
Palyama tried to create gap but failed as his young Indian opponent was everywhere in the court. Until the break, Srikanth managed a small lead of 11-10 on the score board.
After the break, the Indian was leading the game with a 13-10 margin when his rival started to play attacking badminton. Palyama controlled the pace of rallies and levelled the score by reaching at 13-13.
The Dutch dominated the game by playing with precision and remained successful in putting pressure on his lower ranked opponent. He managed to win the first set with a good margin of 21-15.
In the second set, both men again put up stunning show of fast and attacking badminton and remained close until the one-minute break.
After the break, it was the Indian who controlled the pace of rallies this time by accelerating his speed. His impressive shots landed in right areas and he managed to create pressure on his higher ranked opponent.
On the other hand, Palyama failed to stop the killing run of his challenger in the concluding part of second set and lost it with a margin of 16-21.
In the deciding set, Srikanth stunned everyone by playing an attacking game as he dominated the pace of rallies and set up an impressive lead of 11-4 in the first half.
After the break, the Indian remained unlucky as he lost his focus which helped his experienced opponent to level the score at 19-19.
At this stage, Palyama utilised his experience and remained successful in taking the set with a dramatic margin of 24-22.
Palyama emerged as the winner of this thrilling match with a tight 21-15, 16-21 and 24-22 score on the board.
Tags: