KIAN MENG-PEI JING RUN OUT OF STEAM

Duo fall to Thailand’s World No 4 in final

IN the end, Tan Kian Meng and Lai Pei Jing admitted they were in no shape to win the Singapore Open title yesterday. The Malaysian duo, who reached the Malaysia Open semi-finals last week, had little left to offer as they were crushed 2114, 21-6 by Thailand’s World No 4, Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the final.

Pei Jing said: “We were outclassed in the final. Having not played high level badminton for about two years, we just couldn’t match them.

“Our bodies were not in the best of shape. Two back-to-back tournaments really wore us down.

“It was also difficult for us because we played long matches here, and we did not have our support team (physiotherapist and masseur) this time around.

“Hopefully after this we will have them with us during tournaments.”

Dechapol-Sapsiree pocketed US$28,045 (RM115,000) while Kian Meng-Pei Jing took home US$13,490.

The former national No 1 duo will head to Auckland next for the New Zealand Open, where they face Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari in the first round.

The New Zealand Open on April 30May 5 is also the first tournament to kickstart the one-year Olympic qualifying period.

SINGAPORE OPEN (ALL FINALS) — Men’s singles: Kento Momota (Jpn) bt Anthony Sinisuka Ginting (Ina) 10-21, 2119, 21-13; Doubles: Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) bt Mohammad AhsanHendra Setiawan (Ina) 21-13, 19-21, 21-17; Women’s singles: Tai Tzu Ying (Tai) bt Nozomi Okuhara (Jpn) 21-19, 21-15; Doubles: Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara (Jpn) bt Kim Hye Jeong-Kong Hee Yong (Kor) 21-17, 22-20; Mixed doubles: Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Tha) bt Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing 21-14, 21-6.