Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin stuns Valeriy Atrashchenkov in 2012 Bitburger Badminton Open
Malaysia’s budding shuttler Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin grabbed attention by overpowering Valeriy Atrashchenkov in the opening round of Bitburger Badminton Open Grand Prix Gold on October 30, 2012.
This Men’s Singles tussle was staged at local badminton complex of Saarbrucken, Germany and both contenders took 35 minutes to pile up the final figures of 21-17 and 21-17.
The Malaysian youngster, who was underrated earlier in this event, performed beyond expectations and wrapped the showdown in just two games.
On the other hand, Valeriy Atrashchenkov disappointed his supporters by crashing out of this Grand Prix Gold tournament in a shameful manner.
He failed to kickstart his campaign in the opening game and then remained under his rival’s influence in the second set.
In the opening game, Ukrainian campaigner ruled the court in couple of establishing rallies and it was felt that he will cruise to victory without any serious trouble.
Valeriy gained an early advantage with a notable figure of seven and then enjoyed the upper-hand until 11-7 score before the interval.
However, the story was different in third quarter of the set as Iskandar showed elevated craft and tipped the scale in his favour.
The Malaysian player narrowed the gap by raising his total to 14-16 and then maintained this rhythm to establish an unassailable lead with 19-16.
He showed strong character in the pressure situation and survived first segment of this tussle with a favourable margin of 21-17.
Next game was also played in similar manner as Valeriy Atrashchenkov thundered in the first half but then a couple of blunders triggered the collapse.
Meanwhile, Iskandar probed himself a late bloomer and locked the honour by clinching this crucial match point.
Initially, he struggled to read his competitor’s game and remained at the lower end until 5-11 total before the mid-game break.
Later part of the game saw him in a transformed character as he levelled the score with 14-14 and then gathered valuable points at a steady pace to strengthen his grip.
He maintained a notable difference and swept the table with a significant figure of 21-17. Now he will test his skills against Lukas Schmidt of Germany.
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