Mikhail Shekherev casts out Anders Persson in opening round of 2012 European Senior Championships
Russia’s Mikhail Shekherev played with great precision and marched into the second round of the European Senior Championships after beating Anders Persson on September 17, 2012.
This Men’s Singles encounter kept both contenders busy on the court for 32 minutes before giving out the final result of 10-21, 21-9 and 21-13.
Though, Mikhail had a horrendous start but he did not lose heart and made amends by winning the last two match points.
On the other hand, the Swiss campaigner failed to make best out of his initial advantage and knelt down tamely in crucial moments of the battle.
Anders Persson raised hopes of his supporters by prevailing in the opening set. He played with an authoritative approach and cornered the opposing shuttler in all areas of the game.
In first half of the set, he established an unassailable lead by adding eight uninterrupted points in his total after 2-1 margin.
This brisk attack confounded his competitor who could not rise from the dust until 3-11 before the mid-game break.
Later part of the game was also dominated by Anders as he did not give Mikhail even a single counter-attack opportunity and claimed the first set with an overwhelming score of 21-10.
However, he proved a sitting duck in very next game as the Russian shuttler showed a transformed character and brought the contest to right balance.
This time he employed interesting tactics as at first he confined Anders in the rear court with some power packed smashes and then bagged valuable points with some impressive net play.
In the beginning, Mikhail gained an immediate advantage with three successive points and maintained the upper hand until 11-7 before the interval.
After one-minute break, the Swiss player hardly put any resistance and lost this crucial set with 9-21 total.
The decider was expected to be a nerve-racking contest but it turned into a one-sided affair in the second half.
Both contenders remained close on points table until 11-11 but then Mikhail tipped the scale in his favour with four back-to-back points.
He continued with the same pace and placed a decisive figure of 21-13 to setup next clash with Mark Golds of England.
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