Sho Sasaki remains lucky to reach in Men’s Singles final of the 2011 Vietnam Open Grand Prix
Japan’s Sho Sasaki remained lucky in his match against India’s Ajay Jayaram as he won the semi-final battle with a tight margin at the 2011 Vietnam Open Grand Prix, in Vietnam, on Saturday, August 27.
World Number Nine and second seed in the tournament, Sasaki could not perform impressively against the spirited Indian, however, he won the match with a tight margin in three sets. He remained struggling in the opening set but managed to win the remaining
two to reach in the final of the event.
In the first game of the match, Jayaram surprised the Japanese opponent with his speed and attacking style of play as he remained completely in a dominating position. Sasaki remained struggling in returning the bird effectively as the Indian was hitting
the side lines of the court with wonderful accuracy. The Japanese lost the first game with the dramatic margin of 12-21 in just 15 minutes.
However, Sasaki utilised his extensive experience and played better badminton in the second set by displaying a different game. He played an attacking game this time by keeping the bird low from the net. He remained successful in stopping the aggressive
run of the Indian and won the second set with a big difference of 21-14, by taking 18 minutes in the court.
The third and final set of this interesting Men’s Singles fight was absolutely wonderful as both shuttlers remained toe-to-toe until the score reached into the second-half of the set. The Indian was playing fast at the net while the Japanese was relying
on the rallies and occasional smashes which earned him a strong position in the second set of the match.
Until the interval, the score remained close but after the one-minute rest, the Japanese geared up his speed and managed a good lead and maintained it throughout the set by winning it with the margin of 21-16, in 19 minutes. The concluding result of this
wonderful 52-minute Men’s Singles semi-final showdown was 12-21, 21-14 and 21-16.
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