Swiss Open GP Gold: Wang Shixian thrashes Inthanon Ratchanok to surge into Women’s Singles final
China’s Wang Shixian finally found a good rhythm as she reserved her place in Women’s Singles final after thrashing Inthanon Ratchanok of Thailand in semi-final battle of Swiss Open GP Gold 2012 on Saturday, March 17, at Basel, Switzerland.
The World Number Three Shixian, who is the second seed in Women’s Singles draw of the tournament, put up fabulous show of flawless badminton and easily overpowered her Thai opponent in straight games.
The higher ranked Chinese did not face any considerable resistance from Inthanon and won the battle by taking 42 minutes in the court.
Inthanon started her campaign in a controlled manner as she played with superb precision and took an early lead.
However, Shixian accelerated her speed and started to dominate the pace of game. She kept the tempo of rallies at the maximum level and levelled the score at 6-6.
The Thai shuttler again managed to dominate the pace and took an 11-8 lead until the one-minute break.
After the interval, Inthanon lost her focus as her Chinese rival started to inject power in her strokes and managed to level the score at 14-14.
The second seeded Chinese took over the control from her Thai opponent at this crucial stage and managed to take the set with a reasonable margin of 21-17.
In the following set, Inthanon was the first to take an early lead but again failed to maintain it as her challenger elevated her play.
Shixian geared up her speed and executed powerful strokes in all corners of her opponent’s court. Until the one-minute interval, both ladies were close on the score board.
After the break, Shixian changed her tactics and started to execute flat strokes in all areas. It worked well as she managed an impressive lead of 15-11.
Inthanon tried to raise her level of play at this stage but failed to bridge the gap as her rival was in complete control.
Shixian was fully focused at this concluding stage and managed to win the game with a 21-15 score on the board.
The Chinese bagged this Women’s Singles battle in 42 minutes with a convincing margin of 21-17 and 21-15.
Shixian will take on India’s Saina Nehwal in the title match of Swiss Open. The Indian tamed Japan’s Minatsu Mitani in the other semi-final fight.
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