Rohan Gurbani off to a flying start in Dutch Junior International

NAGPUR: Rohan Gurbani got off to a flying start in the Dutch Junior International Grand Prix Badminton tournament which began at Haarlem, Netherlands on Wednesday.
In the U-19 boys singles first round, Rohan overcame a rusty start to thump Egor Borisov of Russia 21-15, 21-12 in just 23 minutes.
Seventeen-year-old Rohan did not have the best of starts. He was trailing 0-6 initially.However, he regrouped soon and reeled off eight consecutive points to surge ahead 8-6. He then maintained the lead to pocket the opener at 21-15.
In the second game, Rohan raced to an early lead to put his opponent on the backfoot. Although Russian tried his best to stage a comeback, Rohan did not allow him to make any forays. Rohan sealed the fate of his opponent with a 21-12 verdict in the second game.
Unseeded Rohan will now clash with sixth seed Matthias Kicklitz of Germany in the second round on Thursday. The German is ranked No. 860 in the world.
"I took some time to adjust to the new courts today. He won six points in a row at the start even as I was finding it difficult to adjust to his unorthodox style. But then I pulled up my socks and began to find my touch. Once I took the lead, I dominated the rest of the match," Rohan told TOI from Haarlem.
A trainee of Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Rohan is aware of his tough second round opponent. Matthias Kicklitz trounced Deepak Pillai of Sweden 21-6, 21-12 in only 18 minutes to enter the second round.
"My tomorrow's opponent is strong. He is seeded sixth and more experienced. I will have to give my best to counter him. I am in good touch and looking forward to the big challenge against the higher-ranked opponent," said Rohan, who represents Air India.