Gabriela Mantik snaps Musdalifa’s streak in qualifying round – Jakarta Open Update
Women’s Singles shuttler Gabriela Mantik intercepted Musdalifa and marched into the third stage of qualifying round in Djarum Sirnas Flypower Jakarta Open on May 14, 2012.
The Indonesian lady registered a 2-1 victory with final totals of 21-10, 21-23 and 21-9 and setup a contest with compatriot shuttler Desandra in the last stage of qualifiers.
However, it was not a smooth road to victory as she had to sweat hard for 40 minutes against inexperienced but talented opponent.
Gabriela Mantik set the foundation of this triumph by securing first match point straight away. She completely dominated the opening game by displaying supreme craft in court.
In first half of the match, the opposing shuttler Musdalifa put a decent resistance but she could not match the game speed of her rival who placed a notable margin of 11 before the interval.
After one-minute break, Gabriela piled on a formidable total that proved beyond the reach of her challenger and she bagged the first set with a significant total of 21-10.
Next game turned best part of match as both contenders put all in their possession to outclass the opponent. They remained toe-to-toe all the way to game point situation and mesmerised the audience with their breath-taking performance.
The local shuttler Gabriela took a perfect start as she relished full benefits of first set win and kept her competitor under pressure. She managed a decent advantage and ended first half as a leading contender.
However, Musdalifa showed a transformed character in second segment of the show as she equalled the score with some fruitful rallies.
This time she did not dole out too many freebies and saved every crucial point which ultimately brought the balance of set in her favour. The game was at knife’s edge when Musdalifa wrapped the show by registering a tight yet decisive margin of 23-21.
The crowd was expecting lot of fireworks in the decider but their thirst was not filled completely as the third set turned one-sided affair.
Gabriela Mantik proved that she is technically and tactically superior to her rival as she cruised to the next stage of qualifying round with concluding 21-9 score on board.
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