SCH Thailand Open 2009 - Top seeds stunned, Nguyen does Vietnam proud

The, shuttlers, members of Malaysia’s back-up squad, beat the top seeds 20-22, 21-14, 21-11 in only their first appearance in a men’s doubles final of a Grand Prix tournament.

The win also capped a memorable outing for the pair in a fairy tale run that saw them toppling No 2 seeds, fellow Malaysians Chan Chong Ming-Chew Chun Eng as well.

And in the semi-finals, the Malaysians stopped Indonesia’s Alven Yulianto-Hendra Gunawan.

“We are very happy with this win as we normally only play mixed doubles,” said Khim Wah.

“We had nothing to lose and just gave our best, and we are naturally pleased with the outcome.”

Ironically, it was the veterans who conceded too many unforced errors to while the youngsters seemed to enjoy the thrill of playing in the final.

The day us surprises continued with Nguyen Tienh Minh’s emphatic win over Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana, the third seed.

Although Nguyen is the No 2 seed, Ponsana was the favourite given his experience and track record on the international scene.

The Vietnamese, however, is no stranger to recording upsets as he has beaten players like World No 1 Lee Chong Wei and Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat in the past. Nguyen won 21-16, 21-13.

In the women’s singles, Wang Rong’s astonishing run came to an end after she was beaten by compatriot Liu Jian Chn 21-16, 21-18 in the final.

Wang, who qualified for the main draw via the qualifying rounds, had to play her eighth match in six days and it proved to be too much.

Yang Wei-Zhang Jiewen took the women’s doubles title in all-China confrontation against Gao Ling-Wei Yili. Yang-Zhang won 22-24, 21-17, 21-15.

There was another surprise in the mixed doubles when veterans Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thuongthongkam were handed a rare defeat by the younger pair of Songphon Anugritayawon-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul.

Posted by Lucas Liau on 10:35 AM. Filed under News, Thailand Open . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0