Anders Antonsen beat Kunlavut Vitidsarn
Denmark’s Anders Antonsen denied Thailand’s men’s singles defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn a third Thailand Open title at the Nimibutr Stadium.
It was a repeat of the final last year, which he had lost, but this time Antonsen came back from a poor first game to take the title in a grueling 97-minute match-up.
Antonsen picked up his seventh win in eleven head-on encounters with Vitidsarn, with a 9-21, 24-22, 21-18 victory. It was Denmark’s first win at the championships since Victor Axelsson’s win in 2021.
The 29-year-old from Aarhus claimed his 11th career title on the BWF World Tour and the first since winning the French Open in October.
Both the men’s and women’s doubles top seeds were also upstaged by unseeded pairings in their respective finals.
India’s Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty were beaten 12-21, 23-25 by Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin in the men’s doubles final while Japan’s Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi were handed a 21-19, 16-21, 19-21 defeat by China’s Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan in the women’s double final.
The top-seeded Satwiksairaj-Chirag, in their first final of the season, crashed out for the first time in five head-to-head meetings against the Indonesians in 53-minutes.
The duo were hoping to win their first BWF title in two years. Their last win, incidentally, was at the 2024 Thailand Open. Satwiksairaj-Chirag also won the tournament in 2019.
In the opening game, they fell behind early at 4-1 and were unable to claw their way back. he second game was a closely fought contest. After trailing 5-2 early on, they drew level and saved four match points. However, they were beaten after the Indonesian duo capitalised on their fifth match point.
As for Iwanaga-Nakanishi, the world number seven, they battled hard in their first ever encounter against Lijing-Zihan, but came undone after a 72-minute clash.
The women’s singles finals, went according to script with the favourite clinching the title.
World champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan dethroned defending champion Chen Yufei of China 21-14, 21-18 in 39-minutes to claim the women’s singles title. It was the pair’s amazing 37th clash at the international arena.
Yamaguchi now holds a 23-14 head-to-head record, and their first since Yufei emerged victorious at the French Open last year.
CHINA SWEEP FOUR TITLES AT HOME
Chinese shuttlers claimed three of the five titles at stake at the China Masters badminton championships in Baoji City.
In the only final that did not feature any Chinese players, Japan’s unseeded women’s doubles pair of Sumire Nakade-Miyu Takahashi upstaged fourth seeds Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah of Malaysia 21-13, 21-17.
The men’s singles also saw an upset with unseeded Sun Chao taking 39-minutes to defeat fifth seeded Riki Takei of Japan 21-12, 21-13.
Earlier, China’s unseeded Yuan Anqi had overwhelmed third seed Shriyanshi Valishetty of India 21-14, 21-6 to claim the women’s singles title.
Unheralded Ma Xixiang-Qin Huizhi had also upstaged third seeds Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau of Hong Kong 25-23, 21-19 for the mixed doubles crown.
THAILAND OPEN
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s Singles: Ander Antonsen (Den) bt Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Tha) 9-21, 24-22, 21-18
Men’s Doubles: Leo Rolly Carnando-Daniel Marthin (Ina) bt Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (Ind) 21-12, 25-23
Women’s Singles: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn) bt Chen Yufei (Chn) 21-14, 21-18
Women’s Doubles: Bao Lijing-Cao Zihan (Chn) bt Rin Iwanaga-Kie Nakanishi (Jpn) 19-21, 21-16, 21-19
Mixed Doubles: Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje (Den) bt Zhu Yijun-Li Qian (Chn) 21017, 21-15
CHINA MASTERS
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s Singles: Sun Chao (Chn) bt Riki Takei (Jpn) 21-12, 21-13
Men’s Doubles: Ma Shang-Shen Xuanyao (Chn) bt Shuntaro Mezaki-Yuta Oku (Jpn) 21-15, 19-21, 21-13
Women’s Singles: Yuan Anqi (Chn) bt Shriyanshi Valishetty (Ind) 21-14, 21-6
Women’s Doubles: Sumire Nakade-Miyu Takahashi (Jpn) bt Low Ziyu-Noraqilah Maisarah (Mas) 21-13, 21-17
Mixed Doubles: Ma Xixiang-Qin Huizhi (Chn) bt Chan Yin Chak-Ng Tsz Yau (Hkg) 25-23, 21-19
