Matthias Almer enthrals Vitaly Konov in pre quarter-finals of 2012 Victor Slovak Open
Austria’s Matthias Almer played flawless badminton and outclassed Vitaly Konov in the pre quarter-final round of the Victor Slovak Open on Friday, September 7, 2012.
This Men’s Singles encounter prolonged to 59 minutes as both contenders entertained the crowd with splendid show of badminton skills while piling up final result of 17-21, 21-15 and 21-17.
The victorious shuttler came back from behind and saved some honour by proving himself superior in the last two games.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian campaigner could not make the best out of his initial advantage and frittered away his effort in crucial moments of the tussle.
Vitaly Konov started in perfect fashion as he bagged opening match point with distinction. He started the ball rolling with a few uninterrupted points and pushed his rival on the back-foot.
He maintained this rhythm also in the next couple of rallies and doubled his lead until score position of 11 at half time.
However, things were not that easy for him in the second half of the set as the opposing shuttler mounted pressure by clinching a few points in a row.
Matthias Almer kept on moving forward at a steady pace but some unforced errors put his expedition to a halt as he lost the first set with a 17-21 margin.
The following game started with the Austrian shuttler struggling to revive his lost form. He played with cautious approach and kept trailing behind his competitor in the preliminary stage.
At half time, Matthias changed his tactics and managed to tip the scale in his favour. He gathered four consecutive points and placed a decent total of 11 before the break.
After one-minute interval, he was everywhere on the court as he kept the bird under control easily and finished this crucial segment with a notable difference in the 21-15 score.
The spectators were expecting a lot of action in the decider as both contenders were standing on the same level with one win each.
They chased each other until third quarter of the set but the Austrian player transformed his lead into a winning total of 21-17.
Now Matthias will test his skills against another Czech campaigner, Jaromir Janacek in the quarter-final round of this Future Series.
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