Wenlong Zhou intercepts Nan Wei to proceed into main draw of 2012 Li Ning China Masters
China’s Wenlong Zhou continued his unbeatable run in the qualifying round of Li Ning China Masters and marched into the main draw after unseating Nan Wei on Tuesday, September 11, 2012.
This 56-minute tussle prolonged to three exhausting sets and both contenders put all they had to read final result of 21-18, 14-21 and 21-14.
The victorious shuttler prevailed in opening and ending segments of the showdown whereas the campaigner from Hong Kong could win only in the second set.
Though, Wenlong Zhou took some time to get settled but he did not allow his rival to gain a permanent lead.
He remained at the lower end until half time but in the latter part of the game saw him making amends with a strong reply.
In first half of the set, Nan Wei tipped the scale in his favour by prevailing in a couple of consecutive rallies and maintained the upper hand until 11-9 total.
However, he failed to go with the same flow after the interval and allowed his challenger to bounce back.
The Chinese shuttler did not squander this opportunity and bagged six points in a row to place a favourable figure of 16-12.
He did not lose focus in the final moments and finished the first set with a notable difference in decisive margin of 21-18.
The story was entirely different in the following game as the Hong Kong shuttler showed transformed character and avoided a straight-set victory.
This time Nan Wei played with authoritative approach and gained an early advantage with 7-3 score on the board.
He unleashed a series of well crafted strokes and confined his opponent in the rear court. He strengthened his grip with 11-7 total and then served notice of his supremacy with a staggering knock of 21-14.
With this revised status, the decider became consequential as both contenders were standing equal with one win each.
They stood toe-to-toe until 9-9 but then Wenlong made the difference by registering 11-9 margin before the mid-game break.
The Chinese campaigner showed consistency in his performance and swept the table with a seven-point lead in 21-14 score.
Now he will lock horns with the French player Brice Leverdez in first round of the main draw.
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