Sony Dwi Kuncoro beats Zi Liang Derek Wong in pre-quarterfinal of Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold
Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro, who received a back injury during the Men’s Singles second-round match, has crushed Singapore’s Zi Liang Derek Wong in the pre-quarterfinal of the Malaysia Open GP Gold 2011, in Malaysia on Thursday, May 5.
His injury failed to stop him from a much needed victory in this event, which is the first qualifying championship for the 2012 London Olympics. Kuncoro showed no mercy to Zi Liang, who defeated Malaysia’s Weng Jun Saw, in the second round. In the quarter-final,
the Indonesian will meet the third seed of the event, Nguyen Tien Minh of Vietnam.
Despite the back injury, the Indonesian proved his determination to progress in the event by delivering a stunning performance. He showed no sign of fatigue in the match and played the best badminton against the Singaporean.
Kuncoro opened his campaign against Zi Liang in a composed style as he was relying on his defence. The score remained equal from both sides as both shuttlers were playing at the same speed. However Kuncoro managed to create a little gap of 11-10, in the
first half of the set.
After the 60-second break, the spirited Indonesian geared up his speed and remained successful in stretching the gap by reaching 17-13. Zi Liang tried really hard to level the score, but failed to stop the impressive play of the opponent. Kuncoro grabbed
the first game in 20 minutes with a decent difference of 21-18.
The second set of this superb match was more interesting as Zi Liang was playing a better game this time. The Singaporean remained dominant in the opening half and managed to build an 11-9 difference. Kuncoro remained struggling to return the well placed
strokes of the opponent.
After taking one-minute rest at the interval, Kuncoro changed his tactics and started to put more speed in the game. He levelled the score by playing an attacking game by reaching 13-13. The Indonesian continued building pressure and won the set by a 21-18
margin, in 22 minutes. The ending score of this 42-minute pre-quarterfinal match was, 21-18 and 21-18.
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