Former world champions too good
News, world 10:34 AM
Chinese Taipei emerged the biggest winners of the inaugural YONEX Canada Open when they swept to all three doubles titles at the Richmond Olympic Oval on Sunday while Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat bagged the men’s singles title.China’s former world champion Zhu Lin, unseeded here, captured the women’s singles crown when she beat second seed Juliane Schenk in the final. The Chinese took 72 minutes to subdue Schenk 21-19, 17-21, 21-10.
The YONEX Canada Open, elevated to Grand Prix status for the first time, and coupled with the ongoing YONEX US Open’s elevation to Grand prix Gold status, attracted a strong field of players, notably three former world champions - Taufik, Zhu Lin and the men’s doubles pair of Howard Bach-Tony Gunawan.
Also in the fray were players like Pi Hongyan, Dicky Palyama and Shon Wan Ho.
In the men’s singles Taufik was too strong for the field and was eventually crowned champion after defeating France’s rising star Brice Leverdez 21-15, 21-11.
The Indonesian, runner-up at the Indonesia Open Super Series and semi-finalist at the Malaysia Open GP Gold, was in his element, using his vast experience and tight net play to force Leverdez to lift the shuttle before ending the rally with powerful smashes.
But it was players from Chinese Taipei who stole the show at the Richmond Oval when Lee Sheng Mu-Chien Yu Chin clinched the mixed doubles title.
Lee-Chien beat compatriots Chen Hung Ling-Cheng Wen Hsing 21-16, 11-21, 21-15.
In the men’s and women’s doubles, Fang Chieh Min-Lee Sheng Mu continued their great run this year by clinching the men’s crown while Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin took the women’s title respectively.
Fang-Lee, the surprise package this year, won the Singapore Open Super Series and Indonesia open Super Series in June, and seem to be growing in confidence with each tournament.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 10:34 AM.
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