Tian Houwei outshines Xue Song in final round of 2013 Australian Badminton Open
Men’s Singles shuttler Tian Houwei of China remained invincible in the final round of Yonex Australian Badminton Open and earned right to be on top spot of the victory stand on April 7, 2013.
He was up against a compatriot shuttler Xue Song and this encounter remained in full swing for one hour and eight minutes.
Both players displayed commendable fighting spirit and entertained the crowd while piling up the final figures of 20-22, 21-13 and 21-12.
The first set belonged to Xue Song but then the ending two games were dominated by Tian Houwei.
Initially, Xue Song played impeccable badminton and raised his chances of success. He bagged many valuable points in the beginning of first set and established a decent lead.
This initial advantage helped him to keep the opposing shuttler at lower end. He did not lose focus and finished first half of the set with a respectable score position.
After the one-minute interval, Xue Song employed all of his brilliance in the game and wrapped this segment of the showdown in a favourable manner. He registered a winning margin of 22-20 and setup a nerve-racking second set.
The following game saw him making some fatal mistakes and this series of blunders jeopardised his stakes.
On the other hand, Tian Houwei showed a transformed character and managed to bring the contest to right balance.
This time the Chinese campaigner ruled the court from very first stroke and played with an authoritative approach until last shot was played.
At first, he mounted pressure with few back-to-back productive rallies and then doubled the impact by putting a decent total of 11.
After the one-minute interval, Tian Houwei played flawless badminton and swept the table with an impressive result of 21-13.
With this development, the decider became a survival of the fittest war. Both finalists put all they had to unseat the opponent from top spot but neither of them could hit the mark.
However, Tian Houwei managed to tip the scale in his favour immediately after the half time. He maintained a significant difference on the points table and locked the honour with 21-12 score.
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