Kenichi Tago waylays Hans Kristian Vittinghus in quarter-final round – Malaysia Open Update
Japan’s spirited campaigner Kenichi Tago displayed unbeatable craft on the court in quarter-final round of Maybank Malaysia Open and secured a semi-final berth on January 18, 2013.
He was up against the Danish shuttler Hans Kristian Vittinghus and their meeting prolonged to 46 minutes in the local badminton complex of Kuala Lumpur.
Though, World Number eight Kenichi had to sweat hard but his hard work paid off and he sealed a straight-set victory with 22-20 and 21-19 margin.
On the other hand, Hans Vittinghus put a decent show of skills but luck was not on his side as he had to face a woeful exit from this prestigious tournament.
The battle heated up immediately in the beginning of first set as both contenders put all in their possession to gain an early advantage.
They snapped at each other’s heels and remained equal in the establishing rallies. They did not allow each other to establish a comfortable lead and earned great deal of admiration for their fighting spirit.
However, there was a sudden change in the balance of game as the Japanese maestro struck hard and tipped the scale in his favour.
Kenichi, who holds second position in the tournament ranking, relished full benefits of his supremacy and strengthened his grip in latter part of game.
He maintained a decent difference on the points table until last shot was played and bagged this crucial match point with 22-20 score.
The following game was also full of drama as initially both contenders challenged each other in all areas but then Kenichi pocketed all the decisive points.
The Japanese got into commanding position by prevailing in six consecutive rallies in the beginning.
He did not lose his grip in next couple of rallies and finished first half of the set with a respectable total of 11.
After the mid-game break, Hans Vittinghus also employed all of his brilliance and brought some life back into the contest.
At this stage, the game kept swinging between both shuttlers and the audience remained glued to their chairs.
Finally, this nerve-racking tussle ended when Kenichi registered a winning margin of 21-19.
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