Tzu-Ying beats Yufei to clinch the 2022 Thailand Open

    Number one seed Tai Tzu-Ying defeated China's Chen Yufei to grab her maiden title at the Thailand Open. She won the game 21-15, 17-21, 21-12 in the BWF Super 500 event

    Taiwan's Tai Tzu-Ying defeated China's Chen Yufei Taiwan's Tai Tzu-Ying defeated China's Chen Yufei

    Despite starting slow, she caught up and took a lead of 15-7. She also dropped a few points before winning the first game from 21-15. She couldn't hold the second game and lost 21-17, but the decider progressed in favour of Tzu-Ying, who took a 10-4 lead and later clinched a 21-12 win that earned her the title. Earlier, she lost in the semis of the YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships.

    China wins men's doubles title

    Before the Thailand Open, Tzu-Ying and Yufei duo had met in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the latter won in three games 21-18, 19-21, and 21-18. Tzu-Ying impressively walked into the quarters of the Thailand Open, where she outclassed China's He Bing Jiao 21-10, 14-21, 21-18. In the semis, she defeated Ratchanok Intanon 10-21, 21-13, 21-19. As of now, Tzu-Ying has 12 BWF World Tour titles to her credit. She also won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Meanwhile, the Chinese pair Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong thrashed Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai for the mixed doubles title on Sunday. 

    As the top two seeds of the tournament competed, Zheng and Huang were the dominant players throughout, although they lost focus in the second set. However, the third set went in their favour, 21-12, 18-21 and 21-14, and the title marks their second consecutive victory after the Asian Championship. "We are building our confidence match by match, and the title is a great encouragement for us," stated Huang. Unfortunately, the men's doubles title is the only summit-clash victory the Chinese badminton team managed to clinch. 

    Li Chifeng fails to grab hold of the men's singles title

    Likewise, Li Chifeng lost the men's singles final match despite being one step away from a career breakthrough when he led the deciding set against Malaysia's world number six, Lee Zii Jia. However, he couldn't convert the championship point and then lost by 17-21, 21-11 and 23-21.

    In the men's doubles final, the Japanese partnership of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi automatically won the title after the early retirement of Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto. In an all-Japanese women's doubles final, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida decimated teammates Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara to win the title. 

     

     

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