Xin (F) Liu defeats Inthanon Ratchanok in a tough semi-final battle: Australian open GP Gold 2011
After probably her toughest match in the championship, China’s Xin (F) Liu got past Inthanon Ratchanok of Thailand in the women’s singles semi-final showdown of the Australian Open GP Gold 2011, on April 9.
The top seed, Xin had to work hard to win a three-set match against the seventh seed Ratchanok, who defeated Tsz Ka Chan of Hong Kong in the quarterfinal match. In the final, Xin will meet either the teammate Lin Wang or the sixth seed Porntip Buranaprasertsuk
of Thailand.
Xin started the opening set in a quivering way as she made many unforced errors that provided a chance for the opponent to gain and early lead of 8-4. At the end of the first half of the opening set, Ratchanok was ahead of the opponent with an 11-7 margin.
The top seed increased her speed to narrow the gap but failed as Ratchanok was playing an almost flawless game. The Thai shuttler stretched her lead by playing an attacking game coupled with superbly executed spinning net strokes. The Chinese kept struggling
in the first set and lost it with a difference of 15-21, in 23 minutes.
The Chinese, who won the German Open GP Gold 2011, fought back and leveled the match by winning the second set. Both ladies remained toe-to-toe till the end of the opening part of the second game where Xin was leading with the scores at 11-10.
Both shuttlers kept pushing each other after the interval as each player gained a point each till the crucial stage of 20-20. The world number six, Xin played a better game in the end and scored two consecutive points to win the set with a narrow margin
of 22-20, in 29 minutes.
After the second though, Xin used her momentum and dominated the final set without facing any problem. She remained ahead of Ratchanok right from the start and maintained a considerable gap throughout the set. The Chinese finished it up with a big margin
of 21-12 by spending only 16 minutes in the court. The concluding score of this 68-minute semi-final battle was, 15-21, 22-20 and 21-12.
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