Son Wan Ho topples Vladimir Ivanov in group stage match of 2012 London Olympics
It was an easy road to victory for Men’s Singles shuttler Son Wan Ho in the opening encounter as he trounced Vladimir Ivanov in group match of London Olympics on Saturday, July 28, 2012.
This Group H encounter, staged in Wembley Arena, was resolved in just two games with final result of 21-15 and 21-19.
The Korean campaigner made this contest a one-man show as he did not allow his lower ranked rival to show his craft at any stage of the battle.
World Number 15 shuttler Wan Ho employed unbeatable tactics throughout this tussle which was their second meeting in this year.
Meanwhile, Vladimir failed to prepare an effective counter-attack strategy and faced a straight-set defeat like he did in the 2012 German Open.
The first set heated up with an intensive campaign of Wan Ho who did not give his rival time to get settled and put him under huge pressure by clinching three consecutive points.
This productive movement took him to a commanding position of 7-4. He played with an authoritative approach and kept his challenger under control throughout the first half.
Though, the Russian player strived hard to come out of his opponent’s influence but he could not hit the mark and remained grounded until 7-11 before half time.
Wan Ho did not show mercy in later part of the game and strengthened his grip with 15-10. He maintained this decent lead all the way to game point situation and swept the table with a distinctive margin of 21-15.
However, following game added some thrill to the contest as Vladimir showed commendable fighting skills and challenged his competitor’s authority from the very first stroke to the last one.
The Russian did not show any sign of bewilderment after first set loss and played with the right fortitude.
In the beginning, he enthralled Wan Ho with his well placed strokes and registered a decent total of 5-2. He magnified the impact by gathering three points in a row.
At this stage, the Korean campaigner switched on the best in him and put halt to his challenger’s expedition.
Wan Ho maintained a slight edge throughout this crucial set and sealed his first victory of the mega event by putting up a decisive score of 21-19.
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