Li Xuerui stamps Eriko Hirose in group stage of 2012 BWF Superseries Finals – Badminton News
China’s badminton queen Li Xuerui stamped her supremacy over Eriko Hirose and registered her first victory in the group stage of BWF Superseries Finals on Thursday, December 13, 2012.
This Women’s Singles match ended in just two games but still both contenders entertained the local crowd of Shenzhen with a splendid show of badminton skills.
World Number two Li Xuerui displayed superior craft on the court and locked the honour with an impressive result of 25-23 and 21-15.
With this win, she has secured the top position in Group A and now she is all set to take on Sung Ji Hyun of Korea in her next encounter.
In the opening match, the Olympic champion Li Xuerui played cautiously in first set and this approach subjected her to a tough trial.
The Chinese campaigner had to face strong resistance from the lower ranked opponent and this nerve-racking tussle remained in full swing all the way to final moments.
Eriko Hirose, who is an unseeded player of this Super Series, performed beyond expectations and stayed close on the points table in first half of the set.
She matched her rivals’ skills in all areas of the game and managed to place a respectable total before the half time.
However, things got out of control in latter part of the game as the Japanese shuttler could not capitalise her initial lead and allowed the opposing player to bounce back.
Li Xuerui employed all of her brilliance and managed to tip the scale in her favour. She maintained that decent advantage until game point situation and won this crucial set with 25-23 score.
This first set loss proved a severe blow for Eriko Hirose as she could not rise on her toes in the following segment of the showdown.
Though, she put an honest effort in third quarter of the set and raised her chances of success but lack of good finishing skills proved the biggest hurdle.
On the other hand, the Chinese player showed great precision in her game plan and sealed a splendid straight-set victory with 21-15 margin.
Now real challenge awaits her in the next stage as she is scheduled to meet the prime Korean campaigner Sung Ji Hyun.
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