Rajiv Ouseph upsets Peter Hoeg Gade in first round clash of All England Open – Badminton news
England’s Rajiv Ouseph cheered his home fans by making the biggest upset of his career as he defeated Peter Hoeg Gade of Denmark in the Men’s Singles first round of All England Open Premier Super Series at Birmingham, England, on Wednesday, March 7.
The un-seeded Ouseph, who is currently World Number 26 in the Men’s Singles category, finally registered his first victory over the World Number Four Peter Gade in their eight head-to-head meetings.
Ouseph played remarkable badminton against the experienced Danish rival and managed to win the three-set contest by working hard for 64 minutes in the court.
On the other hand, Peter Gade, who was the fourth seed in the Men’s Singles draw of the championship, played well in the first set but could not continue his elevated performance in the following both games and lost the match with a decent score.
In the first set, both shuttlers played wonderful badminton and kept the crowd engaged by keeping the pace of rallies at the highest level.
The score was close in the first half and reached at 8-8 when Peter Gade took over the charge and reached at 11-9 until the break.
After the one-minute interval, the higher ranked Danish continued his positive and dominating play in the game and remained ahead on the score board.
In the meanwhile, Ouseph tried his best to level the score but failed to manage it as his opponent was quite quick in taking the bird early from all areas. The English shuttler lost the set with a margin of 17-21.
In the second game, both men remained close until the end of the opening half when Ouseph managed a small lead of 11-10.
After the break, he continued his positive play and remained in complete control. He did not let his rival to control the pace of rallies anymore and managed to take the set with a 21-16 score on the board.
In the deciding set, Ouseph stunned his Danish opponent by playing flawless badminton as he managed an 11-1 lead until the break.
After the interval, Peter Gade played better game but it was too late as his lower ranked opponent was far ahead. Ouseph ended the final set with a margin of 21-14.
The English shuttler won the rubber-set contest with a 17-21, 21-16 and 21-14 score on the board.
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