German Open GP Gold: Li Xuerui tames Juan Gu in Women’s Singles semi-final clash – Badminton news
China’s Li Xuerui proved her worth as she reached into Women’s Singles final after taming Singapore’s Juan Gu in semi-final clash of German Open GP Gold in Germany, on Saturday, March 3.
Xuerui, who has been placed at number six in Women’s Singles world standings, lived up to expectations as she overpowered her Singaporean rival in straight games by taking just 36 minutes in the court.
Juan, who delivered a remarkable performance in all matches of previous round, could not stretch her winning streak as she lost the contest in straight sets without creating an impact.
The starting points of first set were interesting when the Singaporean played attacking badminton and took a comfortable lead by reaching at 6-1.
However, the second seed Xuerui increased her speed and started to dominate the game. She found her rhythm and played with precision which helped her to level the score at 6-6.
Until the one-minute break in the first game, Xuerui managed to set up a small lead of 11-9.
After the break, Juan played positive and better game which helped her to level the score at 18-18.
At this ending stage in the first set, both shuttlers played fast and aggressive badminton and remained equal on the score board until 22-22.
At this breath-taking stage, Xuerui played fast badminton as she dominated the pace of rallies and managed to grab two consecutive points. She won the first set with a dramatic score of 24-22.
In the second set, Xuerui surprised the crowd with her impressive play as she took eight points in a row to set up a tremendous lead of 8-0.
Juan tried her best to take the bird early but failed as her opponent was in complete control of the game. Until the break, the Chinese was ahead of her Singaporean opponent at 11-8.
After the break, Xuerui remained on track as she did not let Juan to level the score at any stage of the game. She played flawless badminton and bagged the set with a comprehensive margin of 21-14.
The overall score of this 36-minute semi-final encounter was 24-22 and 21-14.
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