Zulfadli Zulkiffli tames Lino Munoz in first round of US Open GPG 2013 – Badminton news
Malaysia’s Zulfadli Zulkiffli, who has earned a respectable place in the national squad, played remarkable game and overpowered Mexico’s Lino Munoz in Men’s Singles first round of Yonex OCBC US Open GPG 2013, on Monday, July 8, in USA.
The lofty Zulfadli, who is young and aggressive in his playing style, did not take much time in getting adjusted with the court conditions. He played comfortably and sent his Mexican rival packing in just 33 minutes.
Malaysian shuttler was in no mood to show even a least amount of mercy to his opponent. He played attacking badminton all the way and ended up the contest in straight sets with a lopsided 21-13 and 21-12 score on the board.
On the other hand, Munoz tried to cope up with the aggression and speed of his rival in the starting points. However, he failed to maintain the rhythm and remained struggling all the way. He bowed down to Zulfadli without creating any strong impact.
The start of the match was interesting when Zulfadli played longer rallies in order to test his shots. He did not let his rival dominated the pace at any stage in the opening half of first game.
Gradually, the Malaysian became a little aggressive and he started to construct lead. Until the end of opening half, the in-form Zulfadli was leading the game with a huge margin.
After the break, Zulfadli stayed consistent in executing powerful shots in right areas. He did not find any resistance from his challenger at any stage and bagged the opening game with a one-sided score of 21-13.
In the second game, Munoz changed his playing strategy as he became aggressive and executed a few remarkable strokes. However, he failed to break the flow of Zulfadli who geared up his speed and took a wonderful lead until the break.
After the interval, Zulfadli stretched the gap on the board by playing attacking badminton. His aggression and positive play were the major factors that enabled him to stay on driving seat. He easily clinched the second set with a spectacular 21-12 score
on the board.
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