GERMAN OPEN 2015 Finals – Marin in the red, Sung and Danes golden

Sung Ji Hyun took the biggest title of her career in Europe as World Champion Carolina Marin gets two red cards in the final of the Yonex German Open Grand Prix Gold.

By Don Hearn.  Photos: Sven Heise for Badmintonphoto (live)

Korea’s Sung Ji Hyun (pictured top) came to finals day in Mulheim at the Yonex German Open Grand Prix Gold looking for both her first title in a ranking event on European soil but also for her first ever win over World Champion Carolina Marin of Spain.  She reached her first European final back in 2011 at the Swiss Open but despite reaching two more since, her only win outside of Asia has been at the Kazan Universiade in 2013.

The first two games looked like a familiar story with Sung dominating the first and Carolina Marin (pictured) running away with the second from the interval.  But everything was about to change as the decider got underway.

After losing a point to allow Sung to lead 6-3, Marin was shown a red card for walking away instead of delivering the shuttle to her opponent, something for which the umpire had given her both a verbal warning and a yellow card previously.  Marin soon incurred a second when she took her time preparing to receive the next serve.  The umpire then summoned the tournament referee but after some discussion and a leisurely break by the Spaniard, play finally resumed.

Sung Ji Hyun was rewarded for her patience with an opportunity to coast to the finish as a visibly rattled Marin was incapable of getting back her focus.  Sung Ji Hyun thus for the first time won a title that her mother had once held.  Kim Yun Ja won both the women’s singles and doubles titles back in 1986.

On a day that looked set to crown all five Europeans Champions, the loss by Marin was not the first to break that pattern.  The afternoon began with Mads Pieler Kolding / Kamilla Rytter Juhl getting the better of compatriots Joachim Fischer Nielsen / Christinna Pedersen (pictured), the pair who had beaten them in the European Championship final last spring.

Pieler Kolding and Rytter Juhl actually ended up scoring a doubles tripod at the German Open, as each had one leg on the top of the mixed podium and each contributed to wins in level doubles as well.  For Mads Pieler Kolding, his victory, with Mads Conrad- Petersen, over Vladimir Ivanov / Ivan Sozonov may have been expected given their success against the Russians in the past year but it was obviously very satisfying since they lost the only other final where the two pairs met.

It wasn’t easy but the Danes scraped through in two games.  For both men, their only Grand Prix Gold success has come on German soil.  They also won the Bitburger Open in Saarbrucken in 2013.

For the other two titles, Danish shuttlers had to fend off challenges from Indonesian underdogs.  Jan O Jorgensen did exactly what was expected and dominated his final against Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka (pictured).  The Indonesian, playing in his first Grand Prix Gold final outside of his homeland, just couldn’t make it work against the world #2, losing in just over half an hour.

Rumbaka’s compatriots Della Destiara Haris / Rosyita Eka Putri Sari (pictured bottom) gave the European Women’s Doubles Champions more of a run for their money.  For at least the first two games, they showed more of the fine form they had all week.

The last game went all the Danes’ way, however.  Kamilla Rytter Juhl thus accomplished what her partner had done at the Malaysia Masters in January, winning both mixed and women’s doubles titles.

Final results
XD: Mads Pieler Kolding / Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN) [6] beat Joachim Fischer Nielsen / Christinna Pedersen (DEN) [1] 21-18, 21-17
WS: Sung Ji Hyun (KOR) [1] beat Carolina Marin (ESP) [2] 21-15, 14-21, 21-6
MS: Jan O Jorgensen (DEN) [1] beat Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka (INA)  21-12, 21-13
WD: Christinna Pedersen / Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN) [2] beat Della Destiara Haris / Rosyita Eka Putri Sari (INA)  21-18, 17-21, 21-9
MD: Mads Conrad-Petersen / Mads Pieler Kolding (DEN) [4] beat Vladimir Ivanov / Ivan Sozonov (RUS) [6]  22-20, 21-19

Click here for complete results