Eriko Hirose thrashes Hsiao Huan Chen to clear first round of 2012 Vietnam Open GP
Women’s Singles expert Eriko Hirose overpowered Hsiao Huan Chen and surged into the second round of Yonex Sunrise Vietnam Open GP on Wednesday, August 22, 2012.
This encounter, staged at local badminton arena of Ho Chih Minh in Vietnam, kept both contenders busy for 66 minutes before ending with a concluding margin of 25-23, 9-21 and 21-19.
The Japanese campaigner, who is placed in second spot of the tournament ranking, proved superior in the opening and closing sets to secure a berth in pre quarter-finals of this Grand Prix event.
Meanwhile, the Taipei shuttler’s magic could prevail only in the second set of the match and she had to face a woeful exit.
In the opening game, both female shuttlers put all in their possession to gain an early advantage but neither of them could establish a permanent lead.
The battle heated up when Eriko Hirose made swift progress by pocketing a couple of consecutive points but the opposing shuttler counter-balanced the situation by dominating in a few nonstop rallies.
Huan Chen, who was underrated earlier in this tournament, matched her competitor’s skills in all areas of the game and remained close until last shot was played.
World Number 22 Eriko employed all of her experience and brilliance to finish the opening set with a favourable result of 25-23.
However, this first set loss did not harm the opposing shuttler much as she bounced back with a strong reply and swept the table with a huge difference of 12 points.
The Taipei player changed her tactics this time and stunned her challenger with a fine blend of power packed smashes and deceiving drop net shots.
In the first half, Huan Chen established a comfortable lead with a mountainous total of 11 and then magnified the impact by registering an overwhelming figure of 21-9.
Lot of fireworks was expected in the decider as both players were standing equal with one win each and they were looking to bag this final match point.
They remained toe-to-toe throughout this crucial segment but finally Eriko Hirose made the difference when it mattered.
She placed 21-19 score on the board and setup a second round clash with Jiayuan Chen of Singapore.
Tags: