New winners: Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Supissara Paewsampran celebrate after beating China’s Feng Yanzhe - Huang Dongping in the mixed double final match at the Malaysian Open. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: It's a day when new pairs stole the show in the Malaysian Open.
In the mixed doubles event, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and his new partner, Supissara Paewsampran, denied top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping their championship dream.
The Thai duo showcased great determination to claim the title, winning 21-13, 19-21, 21-18 in 60 minutes.
Dechapol’s last victory at this tournament came in 2022 when he triumphed alongside Sapsiree Taerattanachai.
“I am very happy that can do it this time. We try our best to win this title,” said Dechapol.
The men’s doubles showdown between China’s Chen Boyang-Liu Yi and South Korea’s Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae was a thriller.
Both pairs gave their all throughout the match, but luck favored Won-ho-Seung-jae, who triumphed with a 19-21, 21-12, 21-12 victory after an intense 63 minute battle.
What made the win even more remarkable was that this was their debut tournament as a scratch pair, yielding a highly positive result as they walked away with a winner’s prize of US$107,300 (RM482,850) and medals.
World No. 1 Shi Yuqi ended China’s five year wait for a men’s singles title at the Malaysian Open by defeating defending champion Anders Antonsen in today’s final.
Yuqi needed just 38 minutes to comfortably dispatch Antonsen with a 21-8, 21-15 victory, securing the championship title along with a winner’s prize of US$101,500 (RM456,750) and a medal.
In the women’s singles event, An Se Young proved she is unstoppable by defeating China’s Wang Zhiyi in straight sets, 21-17, 21-17, in just 45 minutes.
Earlier, China fell short of securing a title in the women’s doubles event when the new pairing of Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian lost to Japan’s scratch pair, Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.
In a thrilling 95 minute match, Fukushima and Matsumoto triumphed 17-21, 21-15, 21-15.
