Xue Song enthrals Lee Dong Keun in semi-finals of 2013 New Zealand Badminton Open
Men’s Singles campaigner Xue Song of China stretched his successful run in the SKYCITY New Zealand Badminton Open and secured a final round berth on Saturday, April 13, 2013.
He was up against the Korean shuttler Lee Dong Keun and this encounter proved a real test of their physical and mental strength.
Both contenders remained head-to-head for 74 minutes and finished this hard fought tussle with a decisive result of 21-16, 16-21 and 21-15.
The young but talented Chinese shuttler prevailed in the opening and ending segments of showdown and locked the honour in a commendable manner.
On the other hand, Lee Dong could pocket only the second match point and crashed out of this Grand Prix tournament.
In the opening game, Xue Song amazed everyone with his splendid badminton craft and gained a decent advantage on the points table. He prevailed in the establishing rallies and piled up a significant total in no time.
The Korean campaigner was not prepared for such an intensive attack as he remained at the lower end all the way to final moments.
At first, Xue Song mounted pressure by registering a mountainous figure of 11 and then swept the table with an overwhelming score of 21-16.
However, story was entirely different in the following game as Lee Dong showed a transformed character and turned his rival’s plans of straight-set victory into dust.
This time, the Korean shuttler did not repeat his previous mistakes and established an unassailable lead way before the half time.
His flawless approach helped him to pile up a respectable total before the one-minute break. Though, he lost focus in third quarter of the set and allowed his competitor to proceed but then few back-to-back productive rallies ensured his success with 21-16
margin.
The decider was expected to be a nerve-racking tussle as both contenders were standing equal in match score position.
They stood toe-to-toe until the mid-game break but then Xue Song showed superior skills and stole the limelight.
He maintained a significant difference in latter part of the game and registered a winning figure of 21-16. With this win, he qualified for the title match where Riichi Takeshita will be his opponent.
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