Sebastian Schottler defeats Maciej Poulakowski in third round of 2012 European Universities Games
Germany’s spirited campaigner Sebastian Schottler enthralled Maciej Poulakowski in Men’s Singles pre quarter-final round of European Universities Games-Badminton Individual Tournament on July 16, 2012.
This crucial match prolonged to 48 minutes and both contenders kept the audience intact with their mesmerising performance in three grueling sets.
The match kept swinging between them but finally Sebastian tipped the scale in his favour with a staggering knock of 21-17, 14-21 and 21-8.
However, the real challenge awaits him in the quarter-final round where he is scheduled to meet second seeded compatriot shuttler Lukas Schmidt.
It seems Rafael Lozano badminton arena of Cordoba, Spain has become his happy hunting ground and he is in high spirits to carry this recent form.
Earlier in third round match, Sebastian laid foundation of his supremacy straight away in first set as he outclassed Maciej in all areas of the game.
The German exhibited unbeatable craft and prevailed in five consecutive rallies in the beginning.
He maintained this rhythm all the way to mid-game break and finished first half with respectable total of 11-7.
After the interval, the opposing shuttler stepped forward quickly but could not match Sebastian’s speed and lost the first match point with 17-21 margin.
However, Maciej managed to hit the mark in following game as he stunned his competitor with a strong reply.
This time he did not repeat his previous mistakes and manipulated every loophole. He set the ball rolling by gathering four consecutive points after 3-2 and then magnified the impact with 11-6 before half time.
Later part of the game saw the Polish campaigner everywhere on court as he strengthened the grip with 15-8 and when the opposing shuttler narrowed the gap at 15-13, he took a giant leap to concluding position of 21-14.
Lot of fireworks was expected in third set as both contenders were standing equal with 1-1 match score but the decider turned to a one-sided affair.
Sebastian, who is playing for University of Hamburg, switched on the best and dazzled his challenger in outstanding manner.
He confined Maciej in rear court with flurry of power packed strokes and sealed the victory with distinctive figure of 21-8.
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