Shon stuns Lee to clinch badminton title
NEW DELHI, April 29: Unseeded South Korean Wan Ho Shon capped his superb run in the India Open badminton tournament with an upset win over top-seeded Malaysian Lee Chong Wei in the men’s singles final on Sunday.
Shon, who also qualified for the London Olympics, won 21-18, 14-21, 21-19 in a 66-minute thriller, which ended when world number one and defending champion Lee netted a service return.Second-seeded Chinese Li Xuerui overcame the opening-game loss to record a 14-21, 21-17, 21-8 win over sixth-seeded German Juliane Schenk in the 47-minute women’s singles final.
Schenk, who defeated top seed Wang Shixian of China in the quarter-finals, started impressively as she always looked in control in the opening game but Li came back strongly in the next two.
Thailand’s Bodin Issara and Maneepong Jongjit won the men’s doubles title when they beat second-seeded Koreans Sung Hyun Ko and Yeon Seong Yoo 21-17, 14-21, 21-14.
Sixth-seeded South Koreans Kyung Eun Jung and Ha Na Kim needed 50 minutes to claim the women’s doubles title, beating Chinese Bao Yixin and Zhong Qianxin 21-17, 21-18.
In the mixed doubles final, second-seeded Indonesians Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir recorded a 21-16, 12-21, 21-14 victory over Thailand’s Sudket Prapakamol and Saralee Thoungthongkam. —AFP