Hong Kong Open badminton: Jonatan Christie is first Indonesian men’s winner in 25 years, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi wins women’s title, home duo lose doubles final
- Mixed doubles pair Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet of Hong Kong lose in straight games to China’s Guo Xinwa and Wei Yaxin
- They match Hong Kong’s best doubles result but admit they were not good enough in the final
The unseeded duo had overcome the second, fourth and sixth seeds during their run at Hong Kong Coliseum, only to fall at the last hurdle, losing to Guo Xinwa and Wei Yaxin of China.
Staunch support from a full house of 6,500 fans mirrored that of previous rounds, but they did not see the result they wanted as the Hongkongers lost in straight games.
Tang and Tse could not hide their disappointment afterwards, even though they had managed the joint-best finish for a home doubles pair in the tournament’s 41-year history. They emulated Amy Chan Lim-chee and Chan Chi-choi, who were finalists in 1989.
It was their second runners-up spot on badminton’s World Tour, two years after their first at the Indonesia Masters, and earned them US$15,900 in prize money.
“Of course it was a bit disappointing,” Tse, 31, said. “We are not only talking about the result here, but also the way we played. Our performance was below par.
“We did not return the serve very well and as a result, we allowed the opponents to take the initiative easily.”
When the Hong Kong pair did manage to get ahead, the mainlanders were able to regain supremacy.
“I was a bit tense in the opening stages and my shots were not as accurate as they should have been,” Tang said. “Our game plan was affected and we lost our confidence a bit. Even if we worked hard for a few points, we allowed them to get back into it easily. Tactically we were not good enough.”
He and Tse looked convincing in the opening stages, taking a 7-3 lead before Guo and Wei took control, winning the first game convincingly 21-13.
The second was closer, and the lead was exchanged several times until, after being level at 15-all, the China duo upped the tempo and took it 21-19.
The week-long event, featuring some of the world’s best, had already proved memorable, and allowed Tang and Tse to sharpen up for this month’s Asian Games.
“I had thought I may not have the chance of playing in the Hong Kong Open again,” Tse said. “But having reached the final, with many of my friends and relatives coming to watch us, it was just nice. The opportunity of rubbing shoulders with the top players during this period is also important.”
In the women’s singles, top seed Akane Yamaguchi of Japan won her first Hong Kong Open title, having made her first appearance in 2014. The world No 2 beat Zhang Yiman of China 21-18, 21-15.
Jonatan Christie became the first Indonesian to win the men’s singles in 25 years. The defending Asian Games champion beat Kenta Nishimoto of Japan 12-21, 22-20, 21-18.
