Australian Open Superseries: Lee and Yoo make history

2014-06-29

2014 Australian Open Superseries | June 24-29 | Sydney, Australia


Yoo Yeon Seong
Team captain Yoo Yeon Seong wins fourth title of the season for Korea. 
Final day notes & results
Former no.1 in men’s doubles Ko Sung Hyun won a first Superseries title in 2014, with mixed doubles partner Kim Ha Na. Lin Dan crowned; surprise finalists on the women’s side. Here’s the final results:
  Event WINNER Scores RUNNER-UP
  MS Lin Dan CHN 22-24, 21-16, 21-7 INA Simon Santoo  
  WS Saina Nehwal [6] IND 21-18, 21-11 ESP Carolina Marin  
  MD Lee Yong Dae [4] 
Yoo Yeon Seong 
21-14, 21-18 TPE Lee Sheng Mu [3]
TPE Tsai Chia Hsin
 
  WD Tian Qing [5] CHN
Zhao Yunlei 
CHN
21-15, 21-9  Misaki Matsutomo [2]
 Ayaka Takahashi
 
  XD Ko Sung Hyun [6] 
Kim Ha Na 
21-16, 21-17 GER Michael Fuchs
GER Birgit Michels
 
 
Lee Yong Dae
Lee Yong Dae goes 15-0 in Superseries in his comeback.

"Victory Number": 6
Finals Kim Ha Na has entered since her comeback from injury in February, in women’s or mixed doubles, before she finally takes it this week! Despite taking a few months off the tour and returning in late February, Kim came back in an even higher gear and made both finals in the first event she’s back with Jung Kyung Eun and Ko Sung Hyun at the German Open, however, she finally got the taste of victory after another four attempts.
 
Ko Sung Hyum, Kim Ha Na
Kim (left) and Ko garnered their first Superseries title as a team. 

Player of the week
Fourth seeds Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong’s formidable form continues. With Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan absent, who tried to dethrone the red-hot Koreans at the Japan Open and the Indonesia Open but in vain, they twirled through to their third Superseries titles in as many weeks, beating Taiwanese Lee Sheng Mu/ Tsai Chia Hsin 21-14, 21-18.
 
Lee Yong Dae, Yoo Yeon Seong
It is the first time a team ever takes three Superseries wins in as many weeks.

Battle of the week
Saina Nehwal’s semifinal win over Wang Shixian was among the most classic battles of the week when the consistency and determination from the Indian no.1 finally threw off an unusually shaky Wang that sent an easy smash wide on match point - final scores 21-19, 16-21, 21-15 - to see Nehwal into her first final in 20 months before claiming it over Spaniard Carolina Marin.

VICTOR STAR of the week 
Lee Sheng Mu and Tsai Chia Hsin from Taiwan built on their success in 2013 and earned their second Superseries runner-up finishes this season in Sydney, thwarting 2013 All England champions Liu Xiaolong/Qiu Zihan and Korean second seeds Kim Ki Jung/Kim Sa Rang. That was also the first win in three meetings from them over the Korean world no.5s.
 
Lee Sheng Mu, Tsai Chia Hsin
Tsai Chia Hsin (right) made his second runner-up showing this season with Lee Sheng Mu.
 

( Edit by VICTOR Badminton )