CHINESE TAIPEI OPEN 2011 Finals – Golden Harvest for Korea

The Korean badminton team celebrated the harvest moon festival by reaping all gold as Ko Sung Hyun took two Sung Ji Hyun snagged her first ever, at the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open.  Korea took 4 altogether, leaving only the men’s singles to Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto.

By Chee Ying Fan, Badzine Correspondent.  Photos: Don Hearn (archives)

Koreans emerged as the biggest winners of the Chinese Taipei Open as they swept the titles from all 4 finals they were featured in. Sung Ji Hyun (pictured) won her first ever international title when she beat younger but higher-seeded Ratchanok Intanon 22-20, 21-14. The 16-year-old 3^rd seed from Thailand saved 4 game points but Ji Hyun managed to hold her nerves and sealed the first game at 22-20. In the second game, the 20-year-old Korean played better and led all the way to win 21-14.

Meanwhile, Ko Sung Hyun/ Eom Hye Won also won their first international title as a pair, upsetting 1^st seed Indonesian’s Tantowi Ahmad / Liliyana Natsir in a one hour match, 24-22, 16-21, 21-17. This is Ko Sung Hyun’s first international title in the mixed doubles and also his first tournament partnering Eom Hye Won. Previously, Ko partnered Ha Jung Eun and the two reached the world #4 spot earlier this year.

Not only did Ko Sung Hyun do well in the mixed doubles, he also scored a major upset in the men’s doubles, defeating 1^st seeded compatriots, Jung Jae Sung / Lee Yong Dae, making Ko a double winner today, an achievement which was achieved before quite frequently by Lee Yong Dae.

In the women’s doubles, Ha Jung Eun / Kim Min Jung won after Meiliana Jauhari / Greysia Polii retired from the match due to Greysia’s injury. The Indonesians took the 1^st game 21-17 and were looking good to win the 2^nd game too but it all changed when Greysia injured her shoulder in the 2^nd game, which the Koreans won closely 21-18. Greysia eventually retired in the 3^rd game when Ha Jung Eun / Kim Min Jung were leading 2-0.

The last match of the day was between two promising stars, 15^th seed Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk and 6^th seed Tommy Sugiarto who had both been playing extremely well en route to the finals, each gunning for his first Grand Prix title. However, it was Tommy who prevailed in the end of the rubber game, winning 21-15, 15-21, 21-17, proving the worth of his status as the tournament’s 6^th seed.

Players now will shift their attention to China Masters which will start on 13^th September, ringing in the second half of the 2011 Super Series tour.

Final results
XD: Ko Sung Hyun / Eom Hye Won (KOR) bt Tantowi Ahmad / Liliyana Natsir (INA) [1] 24-22, 16-21, 21-17
WS: Sung Ji Hyun (KOR) [4] bt Ratchanok Intanon (THA) [3] 22-20, 21-14
WD: Ha Jung Eun / Kim Min Jung (KOR) [2] bt Meiliana Jauhari / Greysia Polii (INA) [3] 17-21, 21-18, 2-0 (Retired)
MD: Ko Sung Hyun / Yoo Yeon Seong (KOR) [2] bt Jung Jae Sung Lee Yong Dae (KOR) [1] 23-21, 21-17
MS: Tommy Sugiarto (INA) [6] bt Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk (THA) [15] 21-15, 15-21, 21-17