Russia Open 2012: Kazumasa Sakai waylays Vladimir Malkov to claim Men’s Singles crown
Men’s Singles crown of Russia Open Grand Prix tournament belonged to Kazumasa Sakai as he overpowered Vladimir Malkov in final match on Sunday, July 1, 2012.
Though, this title match was resolved in only two games but still both contenders had to play their heart out to read final figures of 17-21 and 17-21.
The stadium was filled to the brim as a huge crowd assembled to support the native shuttler in this crucial battle.
However, Japanese campaigner proved his guts by standing tall against double trouble of local shuttler and the crowd. He silenced the audience with a thundering performance in both sets.
On the other hand, Russian challenger drew a blank when his supporters were expecting him to soar high in the home event.
The battle heated up in very first set as both shuttlers put all in their possession to gain an early advantage.
In the beginning, they remained close in couple of gruelling rallies but then Kazumasa made the difference by clinching five points in a row.
He lost focus for a short period of time when his opponent narrowed the gap by prevailing in three consecutive rallies. This fumble weakened his grip and he ended first half with a slight edge in 11-9 total.
Third quarter of the set brought a lot of sensation in the match as both finalists snapped at each other’s heels to oust their opponent.
They kept on chasing each other until 15-12 but Vladimir got into commanding position by entering 17-16 margin on the board.
However, his lead was short lived as Kazumasa bounced back with a strong reply. He stole the limelight by snatching ending five points of 21-17 score.
The Japanese player utilised this confidence in following game and secured the honour by playing impeccable badminton.
He laid foundation of his dominance when he gathered five points straight away in the beginning. He carried this momentum all the way to half time and placed a respectable total of 11-6 before the interval.
After one-minute break, Vladimir put decent fight and caught his rival at 15-15 but it was not enough to surpass Kazumasa who clinched the top spot on the victory stand with a 21-17 margin.
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