Imam Adi Kusuma tames Rendy Runtulalo in third round of Pertamina Open Badminton Championships
Indonesia’s spirited youngster Imam Adi Kusuma continued playing impeccable badminton and earned a spot in fourth round of Pertamina Open Badminton Championships on December 11, 2012.
He thrashed Rendy Runtulalo in a hard fought battle which prolonged to three gruelling sets before ending with 21-19, 14-21 and 21-18 margin.
Adi Kusuma, who is tenth seeded shuttler of this tournament, prevailed in the opening and ending segments of this showdown whereas the opposing shuttler could live his moment of glory in the second set.
In first set of the match, both contenders challenged each other in all areas of the game to pocket this opening match point.
They stood toe-to-toe until last shot was played and their honest effort was applauded by the local badminton lovers of Jakarta.
Initially, Rendy dominated overall pace of the rallies and gained a respectable advantage in no time.
However, he could not go with same flow in next couple of rallies and allowed his challenger to counterbalance the situation.
Adi did not squander this counter attack opportunity and tipped the scale in his favour with an impressive knock.
At first, he levelled the score and then widened the gap by putting a significant margin of 11 before the one-minute break.
After the interval, Rendy raised his chances by clinching some valuable points in a row but then a strong backlash of his rival brought him down.
He could not withstand that intensive attack and knelt down after reading 19-21 score on the board.
However, he managed to rise from the dust in very next game and stopped the contest from being a one-sided affair.
This time he played with right fortitude and confounded his competitor with an amazing display of badminton craft.
Rendy finished first half of the set with a respectable figure and then served notice of his dominance with 21-14 margin.
The decider subjected both Indonesian campaigners to a tough trial as it was do or die situation for both of them.
They kept the audience glued to their chairs with a mesmerising performance. This nerve-racking battle ended when Adi Kusuma raised hands as victor after putting 21-18 score.
Now the victorious shuttler will lock horns with another compatriot player Yohanes Kevin Tirta.
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