MALAYSIA GPG 2014 – First trumps defense

Singapore’s Chrisnanta and Triyachart picked up their first ever Grand Prix Gold title at the expense of Malaysia’s only finalists Sunday at the Malaysia Grand Prix Gold in Johor Bahru.

By Don Hearn.  Photos: Badmintonphoto (archives)

Danny Bawa Chrisnanta / Chayut Triyachart (pictured) of Singapore edged out defending champions and 2^nd seeds Goh V Shem / Lim Khim Wah to win their first ever Grand Prix Gold title in Malaysia.  The Singapore pair had reached the semis at this level in India four years ago but it took all that time and several partnership changes to produce a title for the duo.

The other first time title went to Yao Xue.  She was too much for Adrianti Firdasari of Indonesia and her luck in Malaysia continued.  It was in the same nation that she burst on the scene last year, when she decided to make the Malaysia Open Superseries her first ever international final.  She has been to one more since but this was her first time to top the podium.

The big winner on Sunday, though, was China’s Huang Yaqiong (pictured right with mixed partner Lu Kai).  For Huang, it was the fourth time in the last year that she featured in two Grand Prix Gold finals on the same afternoon.  After coming up empty-handed in California last summer and settling for only the mixed title in Macau and India, she finally took her doubles double in Johor Bahru.

The men’s singles went to Simon Santoso of Indonesia.  He had to work hard but after over an hour on court, he finally shut down India’s Sourabh Verma in three games.

Of Sunday’s winners, only Huang, Lu, and Yao will be in action this week in India.  Yu Xiaohan is taking a break, while the others will travel less and will resume competition next Wednesday across the strait at the Singapore Open.

Final results
WD: Huang Yaqiong Yu Xiaohan (CHN) [5] beat Ou Dongni / Xiong Mengjing (CHN)  22-20, 12-21, 21-18
WS: Yao Xue (CHN) [2] beat Adrianti Firdasari (INA)  21-18, 21-8
MS: Simon Santoso (INA) [15] beat Sourabh Varma (IND) [8]  15-21, 21-16, 21-19
XD: Lu Kai / Huang Yaqiong (CHN) beat Praveen Jordan / Debby Susanto (INA)  21-14, 21-13
MD: Danny Bawa Chrisnanta / Chayut Triyachart (SIN) beat Goh V Shem / Lim Khim Wah (MAS) [2]  21-17, 22-20

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