Kazumasa Sakai ousts Sergey Sirant to make way into round of eight – Russia Open Update
Men’s Singles campaigner Kazumasa Sakai of Japan proved his class against Sergey Sirant in second round and marched into quarter-finals of Russia Open Grand Prix on June 28, 2012.
The pre quarter-final tussle kept both shuttlers busy on the court for 49 minutes before ending with final figures of 15-21, 21-15 and 21-18.
It was certainly an uphill task for Kazumasa as he was not only contesting with a local shuttler but he also had to face strong opposition from a massive crowd.
However, the Japanese campaigner stood tall despite of losing very first game of the match. He made amends in final sets and ensured his presence in next round of the event.
Meanwhile, the Russian campaigner could not lift the burden of expectations and knelt down in crucial moments of game.
In the first set, Sergey relished full benefits of the home ground and aroused hopes of his supporters by winning a vital match point.
Though, he was trailing behind initially but he geared up himself after 3-6 and gained a slight edge in 9-7 total.
Later part of the game saw his dazzling performance as he turned the tables with six uninterrupted rallies.
After a dominating position of 16-11, he did not lose grip over the game and bagged the first set with a staggering figure of 21-15.
The second set completely changed the scenario as the Japanese shuttler stormed back and enthralled his challenger.
Kazumasa started hammering without wasting any time and established a distinctive lead in the start. He pushed the opposing shuttler on the back-foot with a 9-4 total.
Next couple of rallies allowed Sergey to narrow the gap with 10-11 score before announcement of one-minute break.
However, it was not enough to stop Kazumasa from finishing second segment of the show with a favourable margin of 21-15.
Third set became decisive with this result and both contenders put all they had to avoid an early exit.
They remained toe-to-toe all the way to game point situation but the Japanese player struck hard in the end and sealed his victory with a 21-18 score.
Now his next challenge is to surpass second seeded Israeli shuttler Misha Zilberman in quarter-final round of the event.
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