The lack of a dependable kill-stroke, and an assertive rally-ender cost Kiran George heavily in the Indonesia Masters Super 500 quarterfinals. It will remain the World No 36’s biggest challenge as he tries to crack Top 20 and Top 10 in the coming years.
Kiran lost 21-14, 21-6 in 43 long minutes against reigning World champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn on Friday. It was a lot of effort expended over long rallies, constructed and defended valiantly, for very low returns, in the absence of that decisive smash-kill.
It must be recalled that Vitidsarn and Kodai Naraoka, played the last World Championship finals, and despite the excruciating ennui they bring to proceedings with laborious retrieving, they are in possession of a winning style. Kiran had already played 4 three-setters this week, and though his aggressive intent was evident, he just didn’t have the snappy shutter-downer to end the tedious rallies that are part of the Thai’s march.
Vitidsarn has a very steady core stance, plonking himself middle of the court and can respond to most shots with a stride here and another there, as he strikes the shuttle efficiently. While Kiran has variety in his strokes and can use the complete court to send opponents fetching the shuttle, the World champion almost always had the last word at the end of fast and furious exchanges.
Not sure if it was a niggle or it was the exertions of a week full of three game matches, but Kiran George falls away in the end. Kunlavut went on a run of 11 points in Game 2.
End of a good week for Kiranhttps://t.co/FXqFWLA1Px pic.twitter.com/QxeyT9LZK1
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) January 26, 2024
Kiran is equipped to survive long rallies in defence, and to respond to chess moves on the court that are de rigueur with the patient, monkishly calm Vitidsarn. But the Indian doesn’t have the KO-punch of a boxer, to culminate long rallies.
Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth for reasons of limitations in strokes or fitness, have both struggled to negotiate the rally+kill hard routine, without errors on the finish shot. Perhaps the only Indian MS who can play out long-running, rambles and still drop the mic with a heavy smash, is HS Prannoy, and he’s headed to the Olympics. Kiran will need to grow the last kill.
Vitidsarn took off pretty early at 3-8 in the first, and with his windmill defense, below-the-tape pick-ups and a reliable straight hit, took control of the rallies. Kiran’s go-to was speed, and he charged the net often. But the Thai, ranked 9 in the world, stayed resolute in defence. He has a wicked backhand hit from the baseline that really travels, and he was rarely put off balance in retrieving to corners. Kiran, though, was made to twist and turn chasing on either flank.
Kiran’s go-to was speed, and he charged the net often.
He came out second-best in longer rallies, and eventually, plunged into a pool of errors, smashing into the net and wide going for the lines, as the Thai took an 11-18 lead. The consistency of a metronome of the likes of Vitidsarn and Naraoka is not as great as Kento Momota’s in hitting the same shot over and over and wearing out opponents in rallies. But both are very close to getting there. Kiran himself, was running out of patience, drawn into Groundhog day patterns, attempting to play the same blitz as he did against Lu Guang Zu yesterday.
It’s all well to assert your style, but Vitidsarn wouldn’t allow Kiran a sniff and dictated play. The Thai could be playing a completely defensive meter of rally himself, and end up making his opponent look like they are defending more. At any rate, Kiran grew tired, swung wildly and the errors all puddled up as his patience vamoosed.
The last rally of the first set, and the early ones of the second followed the same pattern. And even if the score read 21-6, the time the Indian spent battling in vain increased. At 4-6 and 4-7, Kiran’s smashes properly misfired, smacked wide. As Kunlavut broke away to lead 15-5, he was playing casual drop winners and raced to the 21.
Pulling out a chunky, heavy smash when fatigued and after tedious rallies, needs solid court-work and intense strength sessions. The work ahead is cut out for the talented strokemaker Kiran George, to arm himself with the finishing firepower.