PETALING JAYA: There were no surprises in the Asian Championships finals in Ningbo, China, yesterday as the top seeds rose to the occasion to claim their titles.
The highly anticipated men’s singles final between world No. 2 Shi Yuqi and India’s Ayush Shetty also proved to be a one-sided affair.
The 20-year-old Ayush had impressed earlier by taking down several top players, including Li Shifeng, Jonatan Christie and even defending champion and world No. 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi finals.
He also became only the second Indian to reach the final after 61 years, following Dinesh Khanna, who achieved the feat in 1965 in Lucknow.
However, Yuqi brought Ayush’s remarkable run to an end with a dominant 21-8, 21-10 victory in just 42 minutes at the Ningbo Olympic Centre to secure his first Asian title.
The win also ended China’s nine-year wait for the men’s singles crown, with Chen Long being the last to deliver the title in 2017 in Wuhan.
In the men’s doubles, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae underlined their growing reputation as an formidable pair after beating compatriots Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju 21-13, 21-17.
It also marked their first Asian title together.
South Korea also came out on top in the women’s singles through An Se-young, who defeated home favourite Wang Zhiyi 21-12, 17-21, 21-18 in a match that lasted one hour and 40 minutes.
The win made up for Se-young’s loss to Zhiyi in the All-England final in March.
Li Yijing-Luo Xumin were crowned women’s doubles champions after compatriots Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning were forced to retire just seven minutes into the match.
Shengshu had complained of knee pain while trailing 5-8, handing the title to Yijing and Xumin.
Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles, Kim Jae-hyeon and Jang Ha-jeong were handed the title after their opponents from Thailand, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissasara Paewsampran, withdrew after their semi-final match.
