Tai, Praneeth clinch Singapore Open singles titles
AFP
AFP, SINGAPORE: Tai Tzu Ying cemented her status as the worlds top female shuttler as she beat reigning Olympic champion and world number two Carolina Marin in straight games at the Singapore Open on Sunday.
World number one Tai took just 38 minutes to seal a clinical 21-15, 21-15 victory at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
It was Tais fifth consecutive Super Series title and her second victory over Marin in less than two weeks, having already triumphed at the Malaysian Open final.
The usually unflappable Marin had no answers to Tais excellent defensive work and quick smashes as the diminutive 22-year-old edged ahead at 13-10 and eventually took the first game.
The Spaniard still failed to find her rhythm in the second, as a composed Tai dictated the pace and saw out the game comfortably.
Tai said she was pleased with her performance but unfazed by her Super Series streak.
I know I wouldnt be able to beat Marin easily, so I was very patient when playing with her. I felt that I played quite well today, she told reporters.
I think everyone around me is more concerned about these five titles. But for me, I just want to play well in every tournament.
It was Tais first title in the city-state and she did not drop a game all tournament.
In the mens singles title, Indias B. Sai Praneeth beat compatriot Srikanth Kidambi 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 for the first Super Series title of his career.
Praneeth, the world number 30, said he was pegged back by a slow start but refused to give up. When I got my strokes going good and I got some rhythm, I thought OK, the game is still on.
This is the best feeling: I had been waiting for a long, long time, he added.
It was the first time in the history of international badminton that two Indians were playing a Super Series final and it turned out to be a thrilling contest.
The two trainees of the Gopichand academy exploited every chink that they were aware of in each others game.
In the first game, Srikanth played some angled shots to set up his points and then used his accurate smashes to seal them. He gathered many points on Praneeths forehand with his brilliant returns.
Srikanth started with two lame returns but as the game progressed, he showed his class to outmaneuver his compatriot. The duo didnt go for long rallies and varied the pace with their repertoire of strokes.
It was Srikanth who grabbed an 11-7 advantage during the first break with a cross-court smash which Praneeth couldnt return despite a full stretch dive.
Praneeth too made Srikanth run for every point before closing in to make it 14-15.
Srikanth did not relent either and came up with down the line smashes to grab five game points.
In the opening mixed doubles match, Chinas Lu Kai and Huang Yaqiong beat Thailands Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai 19-21, 21-16, 21-11.
There was double joy for Denmark as they claimed both the mens and womens doubles.
Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl beat Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi of Japan 21-18, 14-21, 21-15, while Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen beat Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen of China 21-13, 21-14.
