Yonex Japan Open: Simon Santoso sends Taufik Hidayat packing in Men’s Singles quarter-final
Indonesia’s Simon Santoso proved his supremacy in the arena as he advanced into Men’s Singles semi-final after registering a comprehensive victory over his experienced compatriot Taufik Hidayat in quarter-final battle at Yonex Japan Open 2012 on Friday,
September 21, in Japan.
Santoso, who is currently World Number Five and has been placed at number three in Men’s Singles main draw of the tournament, showed his brilliance on court by playing to his maximum potential and remained successful in defeating his team-mate in an easy
fashion.
The higher ranked Santoso was in commanding position throughout the match as his rival was a little slow in his movement. He easily won both games and sent Taufik packing in just 37 minutes on court.
World Number 12 Taufik, who is was seventh seed in Japan Open, could not cope up with the pace of rallies and also faced a tough resistance from his opponent all the way. He lost the contest in a one-sided fashion without proving his class.
Both players have been facing each other for the last many years but it was Simon who dominated the pace of rallies in the opening half.
The in-form Santoso played with precision and kept the pace of rallies high by taking the bird early from all areas.
Taufik, on the other hand, failed to dictate the pace of rallies as he could not get behind the bird quickly in the rear-court areas and remained far behind on score board until the one-minute break.
However, Santoso remained fully focused on court and he continued playing attacking badminton which helped him to take the game with a crushing difference of 21-9.
The second game was interesting when Taufik lifted up his level of play and he did not allow Santoso to take charge of rallies until the end of first part.
After the break, Taufik was leading the game with a 14-13 margin when Santoso surprised everyone by playing incredible badminton as he took eight consecutive points to finish off the game with a 21-14 margin on the board.
Santoso won this battle against Taufik in a dominating fashion with a completely lopsided difference of 21-9 and 21-14.
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