Vietnam International challenge 2012: Zi Liang Derek Wong struggles in Men’s Singles first round
Singapore’s top shuttler Zi Liang Derek Wong had to struggle extra hard to win against Thailand’s Pannawit Thongnuam in Men’s Singles first round of Ciputra Hanoi Vietnam International Challenge 2012 on Wednesday, March 28, in Vietnam.
Zi Liang, who is top seed in Men’s Singles category in the championship, faced a tough resistance from his lower ranked opponent and managed to win the fight in hard-fought three games.
On the other hand, Pannawit showed his wonderful skills as he put up wonderful show of attacking badminton and won the second set. However, he could not continue playing positive game in the final set and lost the match.
The higher ranked Singaporean started to play fast game in the first set but could not set up an early lead as his rival was also in his prime form.
Both men put up an entertaining show for the local crowd by playing to their maximum potential and were close on the board until the break.
After the one-minute interval, Zi Liang changed his tactics and took a reasonable lead. He played with precision at this crucial stage in the first set and bagged it with a 21-17 score on the board.
In the following set, both men displayed their impressive craft in the opening half and remained close until the one-minute break.
After the interval, Thai shuttler played with wonderful aggression and remained slightly ahead of his higher ranked opponent.
At the ending phase of second game, Zi Liang could not live up to expectations and lost the set with a tight score of 19-21.
In the deciding set, Zi Liang showed his brilliance as he took over the control from his rival and managed a wonderful lead until the end of first half.
After the break, the top seed remained ahead of Pannawit by playing to his maximum speed and did not show any mercy to him at any stage.
Zi Liang ended the deciding game in an emphatic fashion with an incredible margin of 21-8.
The Singaporean won this thrilling three-set fight with an entertaining 21-17, 19-21 and 21-8 score on the board.
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