Sai Praneeth ousts Andrew Smith in opening match of qualifying round – Japan Open Update
The budding Men’s Singles campaigner Sai Praneeth B. of India had a perfect start of the Yonex Japan Open as he intercepted Andrew Smith in the first stage of the qualifying round on September 18, 2012.
This 47-minute tussle, staged at Yoyogi National Stadium of Tokyo, prolonged to three exhausting sets before ending with final result of 21-15, 18-21 and 21-19.
The Indian lad, who started his campaign as the third seeded player in the qualifying round of this tournament, registered his presence by sealing a straight-set victory.
On the other hand, the British campaigner could pocket only the second match point and faced an early exit.
In the opening game of match, Sai Praneeth was a bit confused in the preliminary stage as he dropped many valuable points.
However, he proved himself a late bloomer and saved some honour in a splendid manner. He started making progress just before the interval and managed to place a respectable total of 11.
After the break, he injected more intensity in his attack and smacked his rival down with a striking knock.
Andrew made every effort to counter-balance the situation but he had to surrender after reading 15-21 score on the board.
This first set loss did not harm him much as the British shuttler showed strong character and managed to keep the contest alive.
This time Andrew employed interesting tactics as he kept a low profile in the beginning and then stunned the opposing shuttler with a brisk attack.
He established a decent lead with 7-4 margin and maintained the upper hand until the figure of 11 before half time.
Later part of the game was also dominated by him as he did not lose focus at any stage and bagged the second set with a significant total of 21-18.
This revised match score position locked them in a tough competition as both contenders were standing just one step away from a woeful exit.
They snapped at each other’s heels all the way to game point situation and this neck-and-neck race to glory ended when Sai Praneeth claimed victory after putting a decisive margin of 21-19.
Now the Indian player will lock horns with Riichi Takeshita of Japan in the second stage of the qualifying round.
Tags: