US Open GP Gold: Vladimir Ivanov brushes aside Niluka Karunaratne in Men’s Singles quarter-final
Russia’s ace shuttler Vladimir Ivanov continued proving his worth as he surged into Men’s Singles semi-final after brushing aside Niluka Karunaratne of Sri Lanka in quarter-final match at the OCBC US Open GP Gold 2012 on Thursday, July 5, in USA.
Ivanov, who has been placed at number three in Men’s Singles seeding in the championship, was one class above his lower ranked Sri Lankan rival in all aspects of the game and easily won the battle in just 31 minutes.
Everything went in the favour of Ivanov throughout the battle as he did not face any trouble from Niluka and easily snatched victory in straight sets with a stunning difference on the score board.
In the meanwhile, the fifth seeded Niluka could not continue his impressive run at the quarter-final stage as he could not cope up with the level of his higher ranked Russian rival and crashed out without creating a strong impact.
Ivanov was in a hurry as he started the opening set quite aggressively and did not let his opponent to find a good rhythm.
The third seeded Ivanov employed his attacking shots followed by a variety of net strokes which helped him to take a wonderful lead of 11-5 until the break.
After the 60-second interval, Niluka tried to cope up with the impressive net play and powerful attack of his rival but failed to put up strong defence.
On the other hand, Ivanov remained consistent and quick in his positive play and took the game with a superb 21-12 score on the board.
In the second game, Ivanov continued treating his rival in a dominating manner as he did not show any sign of mercy and again set up a smashing lead of 11-6 until the mid-game interval.
After the one-minute break, the Russian player continued his impressive display of elevated skills and eventually remained successful in taking the second game with a seven-point advantage of 21-14.
The aggressive Ivanov emerges as the winner against Niluka in a lopsided quarter-final battle in just 31 minutes with a smashing 21-12 and 21-14 score on the board.
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