Shahrul Shazwan surges into second round of 2012 Malaysia International Championships
The young but talented shuttler Shahrul Shazwan registered his class by overpowering Yoshiko Alexander Sianipar in the first round of Maybank Malaysia International Youth U19 Badminton Championships on September 11, 2012.
This epic tussle, staged at Stadium Juara in Kuala Lumpur, lasted for 48 minutes before ending with 21-18, 18-21 and 21-16.
Though, the Malaysian campaigner put a fluctuated performance but he still managed to seal a splendid victory.
Meanwhile, Yoshiko Alexander could prove his point only in the second set of the match and crashed out of this International Championships.
The opening game set the overall tempo of the contest as both contenders made every effort to pocket the first match point and made the crowd gasp with their breath-taking performance.
They remained chasing each other all the way to game point situation but finally Shahrul tipped the scale in his favour with a powerful strike.
In the beginning, he mounted pressure by gathering a couple of uninterrupted points and magnified the impact in the next couple of rallies.
However, he blundered in final stage which allowed his rival to narrow the gap but then the Malaysian lad showed strong character in the pressure situation and placed a decisive margin of 21-18.
The second set was also played in similar manner but this time the Indonesian campaigner established an unassailable lead straight away in the beginning and maintained the upper hand until the last shot was played.
Yoshiko Alexander launched a brisk attack and got into authoritative position with 5-2 total. He kept on adding valuable points at steady pace and finished first half of the set with an indomitable score position of 11.
This early advantage also helped him in the second half as he strengthened his grip with 17-12 and then served the notice of his supremacy with final figure of 21-18.
The decider was expected to be a nerve-racking tussle as both shuttlers were trying to avoid a woeful exit.
They remained close in most part of the game but Shahrul Shazwan survived this battle by registering a favourable total of 21-16.
Now the Malaysian shuttler will face Sol Kyu Choi of Korea in the next round of his home event.
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