PETALING JAYA: China’s Li Shifeng became only the second men’s singles player after Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei to successfully defend the Malaysian Masters title.
Shifeng retained his crown after beating Thailand’s rising star Panitchapon Teeraratsakul 21-16, 21-17 in the final at the Unifi Arena in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The title ended a long wait for Shifeng, whose last tournament victory came at the Hong Kong Open in September last year.
It also came at the right time as the confidence boost could prove valuable ahead of the Singapore Open starting on Tuesday, followed by the Indonesian Open a week later.
“It had been quite a while since I last won a title, and I had also been dealing with injuries and other physical issues. Confidence has to be built through victories, so winning this title reminds me to keep believing in myself,” said Shifeng.
For the record, Chong Wei won the Malaysian Masters title in four straight editions from 2009 to 2012.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon also strengthened her impressive record in the tournament by claiming her third women’s singles title.
The world No. 7 beat Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Chen Yufei 21-17, 21-15 in 51 minutes to add to the crowns she won in 2018 and 2019, making her the most successful women’s singles player in the tournament’s history.
For Ratchanok, the victory was especially satisfying as she had taken a gamble by coming to Kuala Lumpur despite knowing she was not in her best condition.
“I would say that after the Thailand Open, I was unsure about coming here because I knew I was not really fit for my game. I felt like I had not trained enough, and I knew it would not be easy to compete against the top players.
“I was also a little scared because the injury was still on my mind. But every day when I woke up, I just reminded myself to do my best and be grateful for another day to keep fighting.
“So I’m really happy that it turned out to be the right decision to come here. To be able to win here makes me feel very proud of myself. And thank you to everyone who came to support me, especially the Malaysian fans who were shouting my name and cheering me on,” said Ratchanok.
Earlier in the women’s doubles, China also emerged champions after Chen Fan Shutian-Luo Xumin defeated Japan’s Sayaka Hirota-Ayako Sakuramoto 21-16, 25-23.
