Osaka International Challenge: Sayaka Takahashi topples Hashimoto Yui to win Women’s Singles title
Japan’s talented shuttler Sayaka Takahashi made her present strong felt to the world when she won the Women’s Singles title after toppling her team-mate Hashimoto Yui in the final showdown of Osaka International Challenge 2012 at Osaka, Japan, on Sunday,
April 8.
Takahashi, who was placed at number four in Women’s Singles seeding in the championship, worked hard to overpower her spirited compatriot.
The higher ranked Takahashi took 50 minutes to prove her supremacy over her rival as she ended the contest in straight games with a narrow margin.
On the other hand, Hashimoto put up tremendous show by playing to her full potential and kept on troubling her higher ranked compatriot throughout both games.
However, she failed to win any set and lost the match in straight games.
In the starting points of first game, both ladies kept the home fans engaged by playing fast and positive badminton. They did not commit mistakes and kept on pushing each other in all corners.
They played at their best speed and remained neck-to-neck until the mid-game interval in the first set.
After the break, Takahashi tried to employ aggressive shots but failed to dominate the rallies as her lower ranked opponent was quicker in taking shots quite early.
The score reached at the thrilling stage of 20-20 when Takahashi showed her experience and secured two points to win the set with a tight margin of 22-20.
In the second set, the un-seeded Japanese again put up wonderful show of quality badminton and troubled her opponent until the end of first half.
Both ladies remained close on the board until the one-minute interval in the second game.
After the break, Takahashi managed to occupy driving seat but failed to set up a reasonable lead as her rival also remained close on the board.
Until the concluding phase in the second game, both shuttlers remained close. However, Takahashi managed to dominate the pace in the ending points and won the set with a dramatic score of 21-19.
Takahashi emerged as the winner of this entertaining straight-set final match with a 22-20 and 21-19 score on the board.
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