Shon Wan Ho hit top form to see off World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei

Korea takes two titles and one second place at  Sunrise India Open 2012

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Korean players did well at the Sunrise India Open 2012, taking home two titles and a second place.  Shon Wan Ho beat world No. 1 men’s player Lee Chong Wei 2:1 after a hard fought match to take away his first individual super series title.In the women’s doubles, Jung Kyung Eun / KimHa Na  brushed aside China’s Yi Xin/Zhong Qian Xin with relative ease in straight games, to claim their first super series title. Ko Sung Hyun / Yoo Yeon Seong who were favored by many to win the men’s doubles title, lost in three games to tough Thai opponents and had to settle for second spot.

After Shon Wan Ho claimed the right to play at the London Olympics, he has played better and better. Against Lee, Shon adopted an aggressive strategy to try to upset the rhythm of the world No.1. In the first game his smashes were precise and fell right next to the line, making life hard for the Malaysian; Shon took the first game after an intense battle, 21:18.

Lee changed his tactics for the second game, making Shon run all over the court and dominating the net, winning the game 21;14, taking the match into an eagerly-anticipated third game. In the third game, Shon got off to a flying start and maintained a 3-5 point lead throughout until, at 13-18, showing just what talent he has, Lee calmly pulled back six points in successive to lead 19-18. Shon, however, was unfazed by his errors and settled down to take three points in a row to take the match and claim the men’s title.

Jung Kyung Eun / KimHa Na faced China’s Yi Xin/Zhong Qian Xin in the final of the women’s doubles. With tall and long-limbed, Kim Ha Na showing excellent touch in front of the net and Jung Kyung Eun delivering lethal smashes from the back of the court, their opponents from China had a tough task on their hands and, in the end, were no match for the Koreans who took the match in straight games, 21:17 and 21:18.

As for other disciplines, Ko Sung Hyun / Yoo Yeon Seong lost in an intense battle over three games to Thailand’s Bodin Issara/Maneepong Jongjit in the men’s doubles. In the mixed doubles, Indonesia’s Tontowi Ahmad/Liliyana Natsir beat Thailand’s Sudket Prapakamol/Saralee Thoungthongkam to take the title. In the women’s singles, Li Xue Rui took the title, taking her number of consecutive wins to 24 and giving her an impressive record of 28 wins and two losses in 2012 so far.

Following the Sunrise India Open 2012, we have the much-anticipated Thomas Cup & Uber Cup in Wuhan to look forward to in May. For more exciting competition news keep a close eye on VICTOR SPORT GLOBAL and www.victorsport.com.