Kevin Cordon stuns Chen Long in Men’s Singles first round of the 2011 World Championships
Guatemala’s ace shuttler, Kevin Cordon delivered a stunning performance in the Men’s Singles first round as he trounced China’s Chen Long in the 2011 World Championships, at the Wembley Arena, in England, on August 8.
The un-seeded Cordon was the hero of the day as he made a major upset in the Men’s Singles draw of the mega event. The World Number Five, Chen Long was the fifth seed in the event and also one of the major contenders for the title of the tournament. He could
not overwhelm a spirited Cordon and lost to him in a three-set match which took 74 minutes of court time.
Cordon played at his best in this long and thrilling battle and perhaps found the first major win of his professional career by beating the higher ranked and talented shuttler of China. Cordon worked really hard for three games and eventually won the hard
fought battle to move into the next round of the event.
In the first game, both shuttlers remained neck-to-neck by playing aggressive badminton. Cordon beautifully returned the powerful smashes of the Chinese, indicating that he has strong defensive skills. The score moved with the same pace from both sides and
penetrated into the concluding phase of the opening game. In the ending points, Cordon played stunning badminton and grabbed the first game with a tight 21-19 margin in 28 minutes.
However, the Chinese made a cracking comeback in the second game as he severely punished his opponent by playing to his maximum speed. He remained far ahead of Cordon and spared no chance for him to make a comeback in the set. The Chinese won the game with
a one-sided 21-8 difference in just 15 minutes.
The final game of this wonderful and tough fight was quite breathtaking, as both shuttlers put everything they had in the match. The score moved slowly as both players remained cautious and avoided unforced errors. The score of the final set reached 25-25,
where Cordon played superb strokes and won the set by a dramatic 27-25 score. The ending score of this opening round rubber-set fight was 21-19, 8-21 and 27-25.
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