Indonesia's Jonatan Christie reacts after winning his final round of the men's singles match against countryman Chico Aura Dwiwardoyo in the Indonesia Masters badminton tournament at the Istora Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia. Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023. - AP
JAKARTA, Jan 29, 2023 (AFP): Badminton world number three and home hero Jonatan Christie secured his first Indonesia Masters title Sunday, as South Korean star An Se-young roared back to win her second women's championship in Jakarta.
Christie calmly dispatched unseeded compatriot Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo 21-15, 21-13 in the 44-minute final in front of a roaring hometown crowd.
It was an impressive victory for Christie, who last won a major singles title at the 2018 Asian Games.
He was aided by the absence of Danish world number one Viktor Axelsen and the early elimination of Japanese star Kento Momota, both previous winners in Jakarta.
"Dwi Wardoyo is a good and persistent player. We trained hard together for this kind of moment," said the 25-year-old Indonesian ace, adding that winning in his home country made the victory even more special.
"We are hoping that we can make more historic events."
In the women's singles final, world number two An made a stunning comeback to beat Spain's three-time world champion Carolina Marin 18-21, 21-18, 21-13.
The 20-year-old South Korean jumped for joy and let out a triumphant shout after the winning point that secured her recovery from one game down in a tight match against the world number nine.
"In the third game, I felt that I still had some energy. So I tried as best as I could for the remaining time," said An, thanking badminton-crazy Indonesian spectators that loudly cheered for her.
She last won the Indonesia Masters in 2021, held on the resort island of Bali in a bio-secure bubble because of the pandemic.
Earlier this month An also won the India Open title but could only finish runner-up in the Malaysia Open. - AFP
