Sourabh Varma unseats Daren Liew to move into pre quarter-finals of 2012 Li Ning China Masters
India’s budding shuttler Sourabh Varma grabbed all the attention when he deposed higher ranked Daren Liew in the opening round of the Li Ning China Masters on September 12, 2012.
However, the youngster had to sweat hard for 63 minutes to read a favourable margin of 19-21, 21-17 and 21-12.
The World Number 28 Malaysian campaigner, who was supposed to ease into the final rounds of this Super Series, failed to employ an effective strategy and bid adieu to the event.
Daren Liew could pocket only the first match point as he lost ending match points due to a below average performance.
He struggled to get settled in the opening set and kept trailing behind his rival in most part of the game.
The battle heated up when Sourabh gained a decent lead in 7-4 and then pushed his challenger on the back-foot with 11-9 total at half time.
After one-minute break, he carried this tempo and mounted pressure by registering a respectable margin of 15-12.
However, Daren managed to level the score in third quarter of the set and then gathered four consecutive points to finish the first set with an overwhelming figure of 21-19.
The Malaysian shuttler relished full benefits of his success in the beginning of next set as he led the charts with 7-4 and got into strong position to seal a straight-set victory.
He did not lose focus and placed a decent total of 11-6 before the announcement of the mid-game break.
At this stage, Sourabh geared up himself and caught the opposing shuttler with scoreboard flashing 14-14 margin.
Both contenders stood toe-to-toe in next couple of rallies but then the Indian shuttler made a notable difference of four points and swept the table with 21-17.
Unexpectedly, Daren proved sitting duck in the decider as the opposing shuttler hunted him down without any trouble.
The 19-year-old Sourabh showed maturity in his craft and prevailed in seven rallies without in any interruption.
He made the best out of this effort and reserved the right to be in the pre quarter-finals with an impressive knock of 21-12.
However, the real challenge awaits him in the next round when he will take on Jen Hao Hsu of Chinese Taipei.
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