Sports Desk :
South Korean Son Wan Ho stunned China’s World Champion Chen Long and became Men’s single Champions in the BWF Hong Kong Super Series Badminton on Sunday night in Hong Kong.
Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei won the Women’s single title and thereby proved that the Chinese shuttlers were no more myth in the badminton world.
South Korea’s Son clinched his second BWF World Super Series title and Tai her third in the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles finals respectively. China returned with two titles; Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan denied them a third with a come-from-behind victory in the Men’s Doubles.
Son Wan Ho played a tactically astute game against China’s Chen Long and emerged the unlikely winner. Unlike his semi-final win over Jan O Jorgensen (Denmark), which he played aggressively all through, Son employed a controlled pace, creating openings with silken touch at the net and firing the smash at the first opportunity. It was a finely balanced match, requiring fine touch and great nerve, and Son scarcely put a foot wrong.
The second game, like the first, was tight towards the end. At 17-15 Son spotted a narrow
The second game, like the first was tight towards the end. At 17-15, Son spotted a narrow opening and fired a smash. It was ruled out but Son won the challenge, and the point swung the match decisively his way: 21-19 21-16.
“This is an important win since Korea has not produced many Men’s Singles players lately and I hope this will inspire youngsters to take up the discipline,” Son said.
“I haven’t been consistent. The Asian Games team gold medal made a big difference and I hope I can remain steady in the top-five rankings.”
Two points, both won by Tai Tzu Ying in the first game, epitomized the Chinese Taipei player’s variety that she used to telling effect over Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara.
With this mixture of craft, elegant control and power, Tai claimed her first World Super Series title of the year. Okuhara chased the shuttle throughout the 47-minute contest as Tai toyed with her. Not even her impressive speed and court coverage could help Okuhara reach the spaces that Tai created with deft brushes, flick.
