Srikanth K. grabs Men’s Singles title at Maldives International Badminton Challenge 2012
India's talented young player Srikanth K. stole the limelight when he overpowered the current World Junior Champion Zulfadli Zulkiffli of Malaysia in the Men's Singles final and won the title at Maldives International Badminton Challenge on Sunday, June
3, in Maldives.
Srikanth, who was the seventh seed in main draw of the tournament, showed his brilliance in the court and toppled his higher ranked Malaysian opponent who was third seeded shuttler in Men’s Singles draw of Maldives International.
The lower ranked Indian could not find a good start in opening game but got a wonderful rhythm in the second set and continued his positive play to win the match in hard-fought rubber games while consuming 65 minutes on the court.
On the other hand, the third seeded Zulkiffli showed his class in first game but lost his focus in the second set. He remained confused in the third game as well and lost the contest to his lower ranked Indian opponent with a reasonable margin.
In the first game, both shuttlers started their run in a positive and aggressive manner but it was the higher ranked Malaysian who showed impressive performance and took a remarkable lead on the score board until the one-minute interval.
After the break, Srikanth tried to live up to expectations but failed to create pressure on his rival and lost the set with a huge difference of 13-21.
In the following set, Srikanth came into court with a completely different strategy as he played impressive badminton at net while remaining quick in all areas.
Until the interval, the lower ranked Srikanth managed a comfortable gap on the score board.
After the break, the Indian continued his spirited run in the game and eventually wrapped up the game with a 21-11 score on the board.
In the deciding set, Zulkiffli played better badminton and he did not let the Indian to take a big lead until the break.
After the interval, Srikanth played with precision and also remained positive in the court. He managed to push his rival on the back foot and took the set with a convincing score of 21-16.
Srikanth emerged as the title winner after defeating Zulkiffli in three games with a 13-21, 21-11 and 21-16 margin on the board.
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