Sho Sasaki overpowers Simon Santoso in Men’s Singles Group A of 2011 BWF Super Series Finals
Japan’s elite shuttle Sho Sasaki proves his worth as he has overpowered Indonesia’s in-form shuttler, Simon Santoso, in the Men’s Singles Group A match of the 2011 BWF Super Series Finals, in Liu Zhou, China, on Friday, December 16.
Sasaki, who has been placed at number six in the Men’s Singles world rankings, played at his best and remained successful in winning the match after a tough fight. He defeated Santoso, who is currently World Number Eight, in straight games by spending 51
minutes in the court. The Indonesian played well but not enough to win against the in-form Japanese.
Santoso played well in the starting points but failed to maintain his control over the rallies as Sasaki came from behind and took the game with a tight margin. In the second game, both shuttlers played top class badminton until the ending points when the
Japanese remained lucky to win the second set with a narrow difference.
The Indonesian opened his campaign against the Japanese in an aggressive way as he played to his full potential. He remained in a wonderful control and managed to maintain pressure on his opponent. Until the interval, he was leading the game with a huge
margin of 11-6.
After the break, Sasaki accelerated his speed and levelled the score at 12-12. Santoso lost his focus and failed to maintain his domination on the pace of the game while the Japanese remained completely focused. He continued his elevated play in the whole
set and finished it with a 21-19 score.
In the second game, both shuttlers entertained the crowd with their elite skills and progressed in the game with an equal pace. The score remained close until the one-minute break when the Japanese was just ahead of his opponent at 11-10.
After the break, both shuttlers again remained toe-to-toe until the concluding part. At this stage, the Indonesian failed to play aggressive badminton as he became a little defensive.
Sasaki played impressive strokes at this crucial stage and finished the game with a tight score of 23-21. The Japanese won this 51-minute straight-set fight with a 21-19 and 23-21 score on the board.
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