Unseeded Sony is new Asian badminton champ
Unseeded Sony is new Asian badminton champ
Associated Press, Bangkok
Unseeded Indonesian teenager Sony Dwi Kuncoro stunned compatriot Taufik Hidayat 15-12, 15-5 on Sunday to win the men's singles crown at the JVC Asian Badminton Championships.
China's Zhou Mi defeated defending champion Zhang Ning, also of China, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8 to take the women's title at the Nimibutr Gymnasium.
The 18-year-old Kuncoro, who toppled World No. 1 and All- England champion Chen Hong of China in the semifinals on Saturday, came out in full-strength in the opening game against highly experienced Hidayat, the fourth seed.
Kuncoro used his height and reach to unleash a barrage of powerful jump smashes in taking the initial 11-5 lead. Hidayat, in pursuit of his fourth major title this year, stormed back with smashes and deceptive drops to trail the younger opponent narrowly at 11-13. However, Kuncoro had the staying power to hold the tough rival off and win the hard-fought game 15-12.
In the second game, Hidayat, the Busan Asian Games gold medalist, was clearly outclassed by Kuncoro who won 15-5.
It was the first career title for the new Indonesian star, who is now ranked 44th in the world. His best performance so far was a quarterfinals placing in the 2002 Indonesia Open, where he lost to Chen Hong.
Kuncoro took a prize money of US$11,000 while Hidayat received $7,500.
The women's singles showdown was a rematch of the Singapore Open where the top seed Zhou had also defeated third seed Zhang, the Korean Open champ.
Hoping to avenge her Singapore loss, Zhang, 27, controlled the game from the start to win 11-6. But a fatigued Zhang lost the second game 11-3 as Zhou, the Busan Asian Games gold medalist penetrated her opponent's defense with sharp smashes and beautiful crosscourt drop shots.
In the decider, Zhang self-destructed, awarding her rival valuable points in crucial moments. Zhou won 11-8 and $7,500, while Zhang took home $4,700.
South Korean top seeds and World No. 1 Ha Tae-kwon and Kim Dong-moon downed Indonesians Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto 15- 6, 15-8 in the men's doubles final.
In the all-Chinese women's doubles final, defending and world champions Gao Ling and Huang Sui lost a thriller to Zhong Jiewen and Yang Wei in straight games 8-11, 6-11.