Tommy Sugiarto defeats Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif in Thomas Cup Preliminary Round – Badminton news
Indonesia’s young shuttler Tommy Sugiarto justified his elevated spot by beating Malaysia’s back-up player Mohamad Arif Abdul Latif in the team-event match of Thomas Cup Preliminary Round in Macau, on Saturday, February 18.
Indonesia emerged as the winner against Malaysia in this match with a 3-2 margin and earned the third position in the Preliminary Round.
Sugiarto, who is currently placed at number 17 in Men’s Singles world rankings played aggressive badminton and thrashed his young opponent in straight games by working for just 31 minutes in the court.
In the opening game, both shuttlers played remarkable badminton by keeping the pace at a maximum level.
They continued executing powerful smashes and fast pushes. Until the break, the Indonesian was slightly ahead of Arif on the score board.
After the break, Sugiarto geared up his speed and controlled the pace of rallies by executing his shots in the right areas. On the other hand, Arif failed to respond well as he could not return the bird effectively.
Sugiarto was focused in the opening set and managed take advantage in the match by winning it with a 21-15 score on the board.
In the second game, Arif could not put up even meagre resistance as he failed to match the speed of his higher ranked opponent, who was everywhere in the court.
Arif executed many negative strokes out of frustration as he failed to find any gap in his rival’s court. On the other hand, Sugiarto played wonderful game as he remained composed and took a terrific lead until the break.
After the one-minute interval, the higher ranked Indonesian continued his impressive performance and stretched his lead.
On the other hand, Arif could not control the pace of rallies and also lacked a finishing touch in his strokes. He also missed many easy chances to win points against his Indonesian opponents.
Sugiarto remained in complete control and ended the second game with a stunning 21-7 score on the board.
The Indonesian emerged as the winner in this Men’s Singles 31-minute contest in straight games with a 21-15 and 21-7 score on the board.
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