Hwang Jong stuns Andre Kurniawan in opening round of 2013 Malaysia GP Gold
Korea’s inexperienced but talented shuttler Soo Hwang Jong served the notice of his potential in opening round of Yonex Sunrise Malaysia Grand Prix Gold and marched into second round on April 30, 2013.
Men’s Singles expert Hwang Jong faced relatively higher ranked Andre Kurniawan Tedjono of Indonesia but he did not show any sign of bewilderment and wrapped this showdown with a favourable result of 21-16 and 21-19.
With this straight-set victory, the Korean player setup his next clash with a compatriot shuttler Lee Dong Keun.
In his opening match of the tournament, Hwang Jong laid foundation of his supremacy immediately in the beginning of first set and maintained that upper hand all the way to final moments.
He unleashed a flurry of productive strokes and confounded his rival with an aggressive approach.
Though, Andre had lot more experience of international events than his challenger but he looked completely dazzled. He failed to utilise his brilliance in the game and kept trailing behind on the points table.
On the other hand, Hwang Jong amazed everyone with his splendid craft on court. He established a decent lead in the beginning and then finished first half of the set with a decent total.
He maintained that dominance even after the one-minute break. This time Hwang Jong improvised his strategy and baffled his competitor.
At first, he mounted pressure by adding many valuable points in his total and then wrapped this segment of the showdown with 21-16 score.
The second set of match was also played in similar manner as the Indonesian shuttler challenged his opponent in the beginning but then surrendered tamely in the pressure situation.
In first half, Andre Kurniawan showed some class and it was felt that he is back on track but then few back-to-back mistakes jeopardised his stakes.
Meanwhile, the Korean campaigner did not lose his nerves and played with great conviction. He reinstated his dominance when it mattered and locked the honour in a commendable manner.
Hwang Jong placed a tight yet decisive margin of 21-19 and ensured his presence in the second round of 2013 Malaysia Grand Prix Gold.
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