Russian Open: Joachim Persson proves too strong for Iztok Utrosa in Men’s Singles round-of-16
Joachim Persson, an in-form shuttler from Denmark, penetrated into Men’s Singles quarter-final after beating Slovenia’s Iztok Utrosa in round-of-16 clash at the Russia Open Grand Prix 2012 on Thursday, June 28, in Russia.
World Number 88 Persson, who has been working hard to elevate his position in the world, found a superb rhythm and knocked out Utrosa without losing any game on court.
Danish shuttler was in full swing when he played with impressive confidence and outclassed his lower ranked Slovenian opponent in straight games with a striking margin on the score board.
World Number 118 Utrosa, on the other hand, could not show his craft as he failed to match the pace of rallies and conceded many points by committing unforced errors and ultimately lost to his Danish challenger in two games without showing his class.
In the first game, Persson started his run in a positive and composed manner as he played safe badminton while remaining quick in all areas of court.
The Danish competitor played at his best speed as he pounced on the bird whenever he got a chance to kill it from the tape of net and also kept his Slovenian opponent moving around in all corners.
The fast and perfect drives and occasional smashes earned Persson a wonderful lead of 11-7 until the mid-game interval.
After the break, Persson continued playing with precision as he executed perfectly placed semi-smashes and tumbling net shots which helped him to secure the first game with a dominating margin of 21-12.
In the second set, Utrosa gave a good fight to the Danish as he played aggressive badminton this time and also managed progress closely on the score board until the end of opening half.
However, the higher ranked Persson showed his class by increasing his speed and executed flat shots to push his rival in a defensive position.
The impressive tactical play of Persson worked in his favour and he wrapped up the second set easily with a margin of 21-15.
Persson emerged as winner in this round-of-16 contest against Utrosa in just 28 minutes with an inspiring 21-12 and 21-15 score on the board.
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