In the finals of the 2013 Malaysian Open, Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying fought off the challenge of young Chinese player Yao Xue, taking the match 21-17,21-1 and the women’s singles title. “Savior” in the eyes of the home fans, Lee Chong Wei, took his ninth Malaysian men’s singles title in a row, setting a record that is unlikely to ever be broken.

Tai Tzu Ying

In the final of the women’s singles, Tai Tzu Ying faced a dark horse, Yao Xue. In the first game, against the wind, Tai played cautiously, doing her best to avoid errors;this approach, and her excellent skills in front of the net, let her take the first game 21-17. After changing sides, Tai changed her tactics and went on the attack; this paid off as she took the second game 21;14 and with it the match, happily pocketing US$30,000 in prize money, 

After the match Tai said her victory was the result of the efficacy of her coach‘s strategy of using different tactics on different courts and breaking the opponent’s rhythm. She said she was really happy to win the title.

In the men’s doubles final, Ko Sung Hyun/Lee Yong Dae were up against Indonesia’s Ahsan/Setiawan. The Korean’s were put under pressure when serving and receiving from the start and were on the back foot throughout the match,having to defend constantly;in the end they went down in straight games 15-21,13-2, having to settle for second place.

In the mixed doubles, Denmark’s Pedersen/Nielsen shot down Goh/Chan on their home turf;Goh’s knee injury definitely was one of the main reasons the Malaysian pair lost. Despite their loss, Goh’s willingness to take to the court and put up a fight won the applause and affirmation of the audience.

Roared on by the home crowd, Lee Chong Wei put in a majestic show, crushing his Indonesian opponent Sony Kuncoro 21-7,21-8, and taking the host country’s only title. After the match Lee modestly said: “Although the score seems to show it was an easy win, it wasn’t;Sony (Kuncoro) was attacking right until the end, forcing me to lob the shuttlecock to the back of the court to give me time to predict his next move and find the space to attack.”

The understanding between China’s women’s doubles pair Tian Qing/Bao Yi Xin is getting better all the time. Although their Japanese opponents, Matsumoto/Takahashi played some good shots, the Chinese took the match in straight games.

The 2013 Malaysian Open Super Series has ended. To find out the latest badminton news and the BWF rankings keep a close eye on VICTOR’s official website at www.victorsport.com

( Edit by VICTOR Badminton )