German Open GP Gold: Marc Zwiebler overwhelms Viktor Axelsen in Men’s Singles second round
Germany’s top player Marc Zwiebler made the home crowd happy as he defeated Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen in Men’s Singles second round of the German Open GP Gold 2012 at Mulheim, Germany, on Wednesday, February 29.
The World Number 14 Zwiebler, who is the seventh seed in the championship, had to employ all of his skills to beat his spirited Danish opponent.
The higher ranked German took 58 minutes to prove his worth and overwhelmed his rival in a thrilling three-set contest.
The young Danish played remarkable game but could not dominate rallies at the concluding phase of third set and lost it with a decent score.
The opening game was wonderful when both men put up tremendous show and remained in complete control of rallies.
They progressed with an equal pace in the opening half of first set and remained toe-to-toe until the one-minute break.
After the break, the score again remained close as no one could dominate the pace of rallies. Zwiebler was leading the game with a slight margin at the concluding phase by reaching at 19-17.
At this stage, Axelsen scored four consecutive points proving that he has what it takes to become an elite shuttler. The German lost the first game with a tight score of 19-21.
However, Zwiebler fought back strongly in the second game by playing to his maximum potential. He did not commit any mistake this time and remained in complete control of rallies.
The German remained ahead of his Danish rival in the entire second game and bagged it with a tremendous 21-11 score on the board.
In the deciding set, both shuttlers remained equal until 4-4 when Zwiebler geared up his speed and took over the control of rallies. Until the break, the German took a comfortable lead of 11-7.
After the break, Axelsen played positive badminton and reduced the deficit by reaching at 11-12. However, he could not level the score at any stage in the concluding phase deciding game.
Zwiebler played composed game at this crucial stage and won the set with a four-point margin of 21-17.
The German emerged as the winner of this three-set match with a 19-21, 21-11 and 21-17 score on the board.
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