Keigo Sonoda beats R.M.V. Gurusaidutt in Men’s Singles qualifying round - Japan Open Super Series
Japan’s talented player, Keigo Sonoda proved his worth by beating India’s higher ranked shuttler, R.M.V. Gurusaidutt in the Men’s Singles qualifying round of the 2011 Japan Open Super Series, in Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday, September 20.
World Number 70, Sonoda emerged as the winner after a wonderful three-set fight against Gurusaidutt, who is placed at Number 55 in the Men’s Singles world standings. Both shuttlers entertained the crowd with their top-standard skills and attacking style
of play.
In the first game of the qualifying-round battle, both shuttlers started their campaign in a fast and attacking manner in order to control the pace of the game. However, the tussle remained close until the end of the first-half, when the Indian dominated
the game by reaching 11-9.
Sonoda tried to bridge the gap in the second part of the opening set, but the Indian was playing positive badminton and spared no chance for the Japanese to come closer. The Japanese shuttler made many mistakes in the concluding phase and lost the set with
the margin of 15-21 in 17 minutes.
The Japanese came into the court with different plans in his mind in the second set of the match. He played safe and fast badminton and controlled the pace of the game from the start. The Indian could not continue his killing run in the second game as he
became a little defensive. Until the interval the Japanese player managed a comfortable gap by reaching 11-7.
After the break, Sonoda remained positive and focused in the match. He finished the encounter without facing any problem by a margin of 21-14, in just 15 minutes.
The final set was thrilling in the start as the both players were not missing any opportunity to execute powerful smashes and net killings. However, Sonoda played smart badminton and managed to reach 11-9, at the break time.
After the one-minute interval, the Japanese accelerated his speed and picked the bird early from the net and also from the rear-court area. He delivered a stunning performance in the concluding phase, as he did not commit a single mistake and clinched the
final game by a 21-16 margin, in 19 minutes. The final result of this qualifying round rubber-set battle was 15-21, 21-14 and 21-16, in 51 minutes.
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