PETALING JAYA: It was relief for shuttler Eogene Ewe (pic) after ending his wait for a senior men’s singles title in the Slovenian Open.
Eogene fought hard to beat South Korea’s Yoo Tae Bin 21-19, 12-21, 21-17 in an hour in Maribor on Sunday to clinch the International Series title.
Although it was only a lower tier event, the breakthrough was still memorable for the 20-year-old, who is currently ranked No. 113 in the world.
“This win is memorable for me as it’s my first title in a senior tournament. I wish more titles will follow this breakthrough,” said Eogene.
“I didn’t think too much and just played my best here. I would like to say that this is a good start for me but I still need to focus and prepare for my next tournaments.”
Eogene’s previous best results were reaching the semi-finals in the International Challenge tournaments in Vietnam and at home last year.
The youngster is looking to continue his good form when he competes next in the Austrian Open starting on Thursday.
Meanwhile, reigning Malaysia Games (Sukma) champion Wong Ling Ching also won her first senior international crown in the women’s singles by defeating Indonesia’s Deswanti Nurtertiati 21-16, 21-15.
The victory will come as a boost for Ling Ching after she initially decided to quit the sport and pursue her studies last November before reversing her decision and returning to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM).
The Sarawakian, who is currently ranked No. 100, will be eager to build on her encouraging showing and move up the ranks.
FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Eogene Ewe (Mas) bt Yoo Tae Bin (Kor) 21-19, 12-21, 21-17.
Men’s doubles: Huang Tsung-i-Ling Ting-yu (Tpe) bt Jonathan Gosal-Adrian Pratama (Ind) 27-25, 19-21, 21-17.
Women’s singles: Wong Ling Ching (Mas) bt Deswanti Nurtertiati (Ina) 21-16, 21-15.
Women’s doubles: Lin Chih-chun-Lin Wan-ching (Tpe) Malena Norrman-Xi Wei (Swe-Aus) 21-7, 21-14.
Mixed doubles: Wu Guan-xun-Lee Chia-hsin (Tpe) bt Patra Harapan-Az Zahra Ditya (Ina) 21-19, 21-13.
