Power prevails as Mazur overcomes Burhanuddin
Paralympic gold medalist Lucas Mazur safely advanced through to the men’s SL 4 semi-finals, overcoming Asian Games silver medalist Mohd Amin Burhanuddin in straight sets.
A strong start saw Mazur dominate the opening set 21 to 9, but Burhanuddin’s class made the Frenchman work hard to take the second set 21 to 16.
Mazur’s remarkable frame was evident from the start as he raced into the three-point lead. Burhanuddin was able to rally well with his opponent but Mazur’s speed and height allowed him to control the court.
It wasn’t just power that Mazur possessed though as his deft drop shots began to trouble Burhanuddin. A number of drop-shot returns from Mazur to Burhanuddin’s backhand allowed Mazur to take a 14 to 5 lead.
After a string of unforced errors on his serve, the Malaysian star was unable to trouble Mazur who took the first set 21 to 9. However, Burhanuddin was far from outclassed, giving him hope to compete in the second set if he could cut out his mistakes.
It seemed that this was the case as Burhanuddin took an early lead in set two, utilising a drop shot of his own to force his opponent into longer rallies and mistakes.
His shot selection also improved, neutralising Mazur’s power by forcing him to the backcourt with clears to then meet him at the net on the return. These adjustments saw the game level at 11 to 11, leaving Mazur with work to do to prevent a deciding set.
The Frenchman managed to regain control of the match to see the game out in a 21 to 16 set victory. Similar mistakes from the first set would cost Burhanuddin eventually but his second set performance against the Paralympic champion was admirable.
Mazur will now wait to find out his semi-final opponent, with the fixture set to be played on Saturday as the 4 Nations Para Badminton International Continues.
By Nathan Hassett