Syed Saad Ali makes way into quarter-finals of 2012 Karnataka State Ranking Badminton Tournament
The young but spirited shuttler Syed Saad Ali continued his impressive run in the Belgaum 3 Star Karnataka State Ranking Badminton Tournament and powered his way to the quarter-finals on September 3, 2012.
He unseated Tejaswi Sagar by registering a favourable result of 19-21, 21-16 and 21-18 after three exhausting sets.
This encounter, staged at the local badminton arena of Belgaum in India, was part of the Boy’s Singles Under-17 event.
Though, Saad Ali had a troubled start but he played with great conviction and locked the honour by prevailing in the ending two games.
Now he is scheduled to meet Vasishta Suresh and a win will take him into the semi-final round of this tournament.
Earlier in the pre quarter-finals, Saad faced a severe blow straight away in opening game of the match. He could not read his rival’s game which ultimately cost him a vital match point.
On the other hand, Tejaswi Sagar employed interesting tactics and enthralled his higher ranked opponent completely.
The underrated but talented Sagar started making progress with some valuable points in a row and then carried this momentum all the way to final moments.
He maintained a decent lead until the last shot was played and finished first set with a respectable margin of 21-19.
However, things were not that easy for him in the next game as the opposing shuttler proved his worth and bagged the second set with distinction.
This time Saad did not repeat previous mistakes and established an immediate lead. He kept on ruling the court in the next couple of rallies and strengthened his grip over the game.
The top seeded shuttler of the tournament switched on his best and placed an indomitable total of 11 at half time.
He did not lose focus in any stage of the game and levelled the match score with a winning figure of 21-16.
Third set locked both contenders in a tough competition as they were just one step away either from next round entry or from a woeful exit.
They put all in their possession to save some honour but finally Saad Ali tipped the scale in his favour with a staggering knock of 21-18.
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