Kiran M secures quarter-final berth in 2012 Karnataka State Ranking Badminton Tournament
Boy’s Singles campaigner Kiran M lived up to his billing and earned the right to be in the quarter-finals of Belgaum 3 Star Karnataka State Ranking Badminton Tournament on September 3, 2012.
He stamped Adithya Bhat L with a favourable result of 17-21, 21-18 and 23-21 to qualify for the round of eight where he will be up against Rohit Karnatak.
There was a lot of drama in this tussle as at one stage Adithya was in strong position to transform his 1-0 lead into a straight-set win but then the opposing shuttler came in the way and turned his plan to dust.
The fifth seeded player Kiran came back from behind and locked the honour by prevailing in the last two games of the match.
In the first set, he could not withstand an intensive attack and struggled to get settled. He lost four consecutive points in the beginning and this deficit never got covered until the final moments.
On the other hand, Adithya played with great precision and did not lose focus at any stage of the game. He established an unassailable lead with a figure of 11 at half time and then proved himself superior with a 21-17 margin on the board.
The unseeded shuttler Adithya kick-started his campaign in perfect manner but he could not go with the same flow in crucial moments of the second set.
Initially, he was enjoying the upper hand until the mid-game break but then a couple of fatal mistakes brought him down.
Kiran did not squander this counter-attack opportunity and bounced back into the contest. He dominated the overall pace of the rallies and narrowed the gap in the third quarter of the set.
He grabbed valuable points at a steady pace and levelled the match score by winning the second set with a 21-18 total.
However, his best shot was yet to come as Kiran survived a nerve-racking contest in the third set of the match.
This time Adithya gained an early advantage and put his competitor under huge pressure. He maintained the upper hand until interval.
After one-minute break, Kiran showed elevated craft and reserved a berth in the quarter-final round with a tight yet decisive figure of 23-21.
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