K. Srikanth stamps Wei Nan in quarter-finals of 2012 Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix Gold
India’s budding shuttler K. Srikanth continued with his top form and escorted his country to the semi-final round of Kumpoo Macau Open Badminton Grand Prix Gold on November 30, 2012.
He outclassed Men’s Singles expert Wei Nan of Hong Kong in a 62-minute tussle which prolonged to three gruelling sets.
Though, Srikanth lost the opening match point but he did not lose heart and finished this epic encounter with a favourable result of 16-21, 21-19 and 21-19.
Meanwhile, Wei Nan failed to capitalise his first set win and crashed out of this GP Gold event in a disgraceful manner.
He raised his chances by performing exceptionally well in the first set. He unleashed a series of well placed strokes and bagged four valuable points in no time.
The Indian lad was not ready for such an emphatic attack as he stayed at the lower end throughout this segment of the showdown.
Srikanth made some mistakes and allowed his competitor to establish a decent lead before the announcement of the one-minute break.
Wei Nan finished first half of the set with a significant margin of 11 and then widened the gap in third quarter of the set. He played with great control and swept the table with an overwhelming score of 21-16.
However, it was his last success in this prestigious tournament as the Indian youngster showed commendable maturity in his craft and locked the honour.
Srikanth looked in a transformed character as he did not show any sign of bewilderment and won the second set.
He kick-started his campaign with a few back-to-back productive rallies and then made the best out of this flow to establish an early lead.
He did not lose grip at any stage of the game and levelled the match score by registering 21-19 margin on the board.
The decider proved a real test of their mental and physical fitness as both contenders remained head-to-head until the game point situation.
Initially, Wei Nan made swift progress and reached to a commanding position of 9-4 but then Srikanth displayed great fighting spirit and turned the tables.
The Indian shuttler placed a tight yet decisive margin of 21-19 and qualified for the semi-final round.
Tags: