Hong Kong Open super Series: R.M.V. Gurusaidutt sends Du Pengyu packing in Men’s Singles round-of-16
India’s emerging shuttler R.M.V. Gurusaidutt has delivered superb performance as ha made an upset when he defeated the higher ranked Du Pengyu of China in the Men’s Singles round-of-16 in the 2011 Hong Kong Open Super Series, in Hong Kong, on Thursday, November
17.
The World Number 51, Gurusaidutt has been working hard with dedication and commitment for the last few months to get a much needed breakthrough at international level. In his match against the World Number 9 Pengyu, the Indian delivered terrific performance
indicating that he has also achieved a certain level skill and is ready to spoil the party of elite shuttlers.
Pengyu, who was the 7th seed in the Men’s Singles draw of the event, failed to tackle the attacking game of the spirited Indian who was not sparing even a single for the Chinese to dominate the rallies. Gurusaidutt took 56 minutes to beat the
senior opponent in a rubber-game fight that entertained the huge local crowd to the maximum.
In the first game, both players were neck-to-neck until the opening half ended up without revealing the clear lead of anyone. However, after the break, Pengyu injected more power into his strokes and became fast to dominate the game in all areas of the court.
He remained a bit slower in taking the bird and also committed a few mistakes which caused him loss in the opening game with a margin of 15-21.
The second game was a complete reversal of the opening set as Gurusaidutt found his momentum and played a different game. The Indian worked really hard to tackle the perfectly placed shots of the Chinese and remained successful in dictating the pace of the
rallies. The unforced mistakes of Pengyu helped the Indian to take the second game with a stunning difference of 21-7.
Gurusaidutt started the deciding set in a passionate way as he played aggressive badminton from the opening rallies. His attacking play worked really well as his opponent got into defensive position. The Indian continued his positive and fast power-play
and consequently won the final set with an inspiring margin of 21-13. This interesting 56-minute fight finished off with a 15-21, 21-7 and 21-13 score on the board.
In the Men’s Singles quarter-final, Gurusaidutt will face the World Number Two Chen Long of China, who tamed Arvind Bhat of India in the pre-quarter-final contest.
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