Ratchanok wins Indonesian Open
Thai star brushes aside rival in just 42 mins
JAKARTA: Reigning Asian champion Ratchanok Intanon claimed her maiden BWF SuperSeries Premier title after beating Yui Hashimoto in the women’s singles final at the Indonesia Open yesterday.
The Thai sixth seed, who lost to China’s Li Xuerui in the final here last year, proved too strong for the unseeded Japanese, winning the contest 21-11, 21-10 in just 42 minutes at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
It was a sweet revenge for Ratchanok who was upset by the world No.35 in the first round of the Australian Open last month.
“Hashimoto is an experienced player and she beat me the last time we played, so I was very determined to get the win today and I did,” Ratchanok, who improved her head-to-head record against Hashimoto to 3-1, said during a post-match interview.
“The Indonesian fans give me a lot of support and it feels like home playing here,” add the world No.6 who was a crowd favourite during yesterday’s final.
The 20-year-old Ratchanok took home US$60,000 (approximately two million baht) for her second SuperSeries-level title and her 10th overall. Hashimoto received $30,400 (one million baht).
Following the victory, Ratchanok is projected to move up to No.3 in the latest world rankings which will be announced later this week.
The Jakarta win extends Ratchanok’s impressive run in the 2015 season. She reached the SuperSeries India Open final before losing to home favourite Saina Nehwal 16-21, 14-21. A month later, she was crowned Asian champion after beating Olympic gold medallist Li 20-22, 23-21, 21-13 in China.
Ratchanok is scheduled to leave for Singapore tomorrow morning to compete in the badminton team’s event of the 2015 SEA Games for Thailand. The three-day team event begins on Wednesday.
She will not take part in the individual event because she will have to for her Chinese club and in Olympic ranking point tournaments.
Ratchanok defeated Chinese fifth seed Wang Shixian 21-19, 21-13, while Hashimoto upset eighth seed Wang Yihan, also from China, 21-17, 9-21, 21-17 in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Ratchanok became the youngest world champion when she defeated Li in Guangzhou in 2013.
In other events, Kento Momota made up for Japan after he won the men’s singles title. The eighth seed rallied from a set down to overcome Danish third seed Jan O Jorgensen 16-21, 21-19, 21-7.
Second seeds Xu Chen and Ma Jin upset top seeded pair of Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei 21-17, 21-16 to win the all-Chinese mixed doubles final.
Chinese eighth seeds Tang Junhua and Tian Qing defeated home favourites Nitya krishinda Maheswari and Greysia Polii 21-11, 21-10 to win the women’s doubles title.