Lu Lan tames Fransiska Ratnasari to power into semi-final of the Russian Open Grand Prix 2011
China’s Lu Lan powered her way into the semi-final, after taming Indonesia’s Fransiska Ratnasari, in the Women’s Singles quarter-final of the Russian Open Grand Prix 2011, in Russia, on Friday, July 1.
World Number 25, Lu Lan, who is also the number three seed in Women’s Singles draw in the Russian Open, faced no strong resistance from the Indonesian in a straight-set fight, which ended in just 37 minutes.
Lan secured the important win against Fransiska in the quarter-final by playing a game of the highest class. Through her fabulous performance against Fransiska, the Chinese proved that she belongs to a country which is the most dominant nation in the world
of badminton.
In the first game, both contestants put up a wonderful show by playing good badminton in front of a huge Russian crowd. Until the one-minute break in the first game, the Chinese was just one-point ahead of the Indonesian at 11-10.
The Chinese shuttler stretched her lead after the break as she changed her tactics. Her perfect play in the rear court coupled with the fascinating tumbling net shots, earned her a strong position in the game. Lan grabbed the first set of the quarter-final
battle in 20 minutes, with a decent gap of 21-17.
The following set was the demonstration of the highest skill of the Chinese shuttler, who pushed her rival in all areas of the court. Fransiska found herself in a state of complete helplessness, as she had no answer to the variations of her challenger. Lan
managed a comfortable difference in the first-half of the set by reaching 11-6.
Fransiska tried to pick the bird early at the net to avoid the powerful smashes of the Chinese, but she failed to execute the spinning net shots in a right manner. She committed many errors and consequently was behind her opponent in the entire set. Lan
finished-off the battle in two sets by taking a court time of 37 minutes, with a 21-17 and 21-14 score on the board.
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