Hong Kong Open Super Series: Nan Wei topples Lee Hock Lai in Men’s Singles qualifying round
Hong Kong’s Nan Wei enters into the Men’s Singles main round after toppling Lee Hock Lai of USA in the main round of the 2011 Hong Kong Open Super Series, in Hong Kong, on Tuesday, November 15.
Nan, who was ranked at number 4 in the qualifying draw of the event, put up tremendous show to entertain the home crowd with peerless performance against Hock Lai. The Hong Kong shuttler played took just 22 minutes to thrash the lower ranked USA player in
a one-sided straight-set battle.
In the first set of the match, Nan opened his campaign against the Hock Lai in a confident way as he progressed without facing any considerable resistance from his opponent. He played with confidence and set up an impressive lead until the interval by reaching
at 11-6.
After the break, the Malaysian continued playing in the similar aggressive manner and spared no chance for Hock Lai to fight back in the game. The perfect shot placement and fast speed were the major elements in the Malaysia’s game, which helped him in winning
the opening set with a wonderful margin of 21-11, in just 10 minutes.
The second set was thrilling, where the USA shuttler lifted up his level of play and matched the speed and accuracy of his higher ranked opponent. Hock Lai played to his maximum speed in this time and remained successful in matching the pace of the rallies.
The score remained tight until the interval in the second game and the USA was slightly behind Nan at 8-11.
After taking one-minute break, the Hong Kong player changed his strategy and started to play pushes and net shots. He avoided lifting the bird high which disturbed the flow of Hock Lai, who was playing well in the rear court area.
Nan played an attacking game throughout the final half of the second game and ended it up in just 12 minutes with a huge margin of 21-14. He cheered the home crowd by winning the battle in straight sets with a 21-11 and 21-14 score on the board.
In the Men’s Singles main round, Nan will take on Marc Zwiebler of Germany, who is the Eighth seed in the tournament.
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