KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — World No. 5 Son Wan-ho of South Korea had to toil for an hour to subdue world No. 4 Chen Long of China 21-17, 21-19 for the men’s singles title in the Malaysia Masters 2019 badminton championships at the Axiata Arena, KL Sports City here today.
“Matches against Chen Long are always tough. I’m very happy I won today. The condition in this stadium is a little bit tricky. I just played my game and am now looking forward to the coming tournaments,” he said.
Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, who ended Malaysian ace Goh Jin Wei’s dream in the semi-finals yesterday, took home the women’s singles crown after defeating world champion Carolina Marin of Spain 21-9, 22-20 in the final today.
“I just played my normal game. Winning this title will encourage me to become a better and stronger player. This is a very important year for all of us as we seek to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I need to do well in all the tournaments...that’s my focus,” said Ratchanok.
World No. 1 Yuki Fukushima-Sayaka Hirota of Japan clinched the women’s doubles title after a thrilling come-from-behind 18-21, 21-16, 21-16 win over world No. 4 Greysia Polii-Apriyani Rahayu of Indonesia.
There was double joy for Japan when Yuta Watanabe-Arisa Higashino took home the mixed doubles title with a 21-18, 21-18 win over Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanchai.
In men’s doubles, Indonesian top seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo had no problem overcoming Malaysia’s Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi 21-15, 21-16 in the final.
National ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei, who underwent treatment for nasal cancer last year, gave away the prizes. — Bernama
