Jonatan Christie (Photo by WIL)
Indonesian independent shuttler Jonatan Christie stunned top seed Shi Yu Qi of China to bag the Denmark Open in Odense.
Jonatan came back from an opening game deficit to take down his rival 13-21, 21-15, 21-15.
It was the 28-year-old’s second tournament victory in as many outings. Jonatan, who had quit the Indonesian national team earlier this year, had also beat a higher ranked Anders Antonsen of Denmark for the Korean Open crown last month.
The win over Yu Qi was Jonatan’s 10th over his world number ranked opponent in 17 meetings. But the win in the final in Odense was not all that easy as both players battled for 71-minutes.
After a close battle in the first game that saw both players tied at 10-10, it was Yu Qi, who took the initiative to pull ahead and take the first game.
Game two was controlled by Jonatan, who led all the way to force the decider. The third was almost a replica of the second game. Despite a brief fightback midway into the game, Jonatan was firmly in control to run away with his first title in Denmark.
Korean, An Se Young, who saw her streak of seven titles dashed by Japanese Akane Yamaguchi at the Korean Open, was back atop the podium in Denmark.
The world number one bagged her eight title of the season, defeating a resurgent Wang Zhi Yi of China 21-5, 24-22.
It was a repeat of this year’s All England final, and Se Young came out on top with a topsy turvy game. She completely controlled the opening game, playing brilliant badminton. The second game, however, saw Zhi Yi coming out stronger.
Trailing 10–18, An Se Young suddenly found her rhythm, winning eight consecutive points. From 18–18 the two traded points until 22–22, before An took two straight points to claim the victory 24–22, her first Denmark Open title.
The men’s doubles final went the distance, with Japan’s Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi wining their first title in more than two years, defeating Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri 21–18, 15–21, 21–19.
In women’s doubles, it was an all-Korean battle between Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee against Kim Hye Jeong and Kong Hee Yong. In a match that went the full distance, Baek and Lee emerged victorious after three hard-fought games, winning 15–21, 21–14, 21–15.
The mixed doubles final was an all-Chinese affair, with world number ones Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin taking on Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping. Feng and Huang dominated from start to finish, overpowering their opponents with convincing scores of 21–13, 21–9.
RESULTS
Men’s singles: Jonatan Christie (Ina) bt Shi Yu Qi (Chn) 13-21, 21-15, 21-15
Men’s doubles: Takuro Hoki-Yugo Kobayashi (Jpn) bt Fajar Alfian-Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (Ina) 21-18, 15-21, 21-19
Women’s singles: An Se Young (Kor) bt Wang Zhi Yi (Chn) 21-5, 24-22
Women’s doubles: Baek Ha Na-Lee So Hee (Kor) bt Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong (Kor) 15-21, 21-14, 21-15
Mixed doubles: Feng Yan Zhe-Huang Dong Ping (Chn) bt Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin (Chn) 21-13,21-9
