KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 24 – The men’s singles and doubles, women’s singles and the mixed doubles champions in last week’s Yonex Thailand Open tasted victory again at the Toyota Thailand Open Super 1000 which ended in Bangkok on Sunday (Jan 24).
Viktor Axelsen (men’s singles) Lee Yang-Wang Chi Lin (men’s doubles), Carolina Marin (women’s singles), and Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai (mixed doubles) repeated their success to strike rich and doubled their earnings at the end of the Toyota Thailand Open in Bangkok on Sunday.
However, for Malaysia, it was another week without winners in the two tournaments with each tournament offering USD1 million in prize money.It was the same old story – falling at the final hurdle – as Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik fell tamely to Lee Yang-Wang Chi-Lin of Chinese Taipei in the men’s doubles final at Impact Arena, Bangkok, in the Toyota Thailand Open.
The Malaysian number one pair ranked No. 8 in the world succumbed to a straight game 13-21, 18-21 defeat in only 35 minutes.
It was their third defeat to the Taiwanese who also won their previous two encounters in rubber games. Much was expected from Aaron-Wooi Yik but the Malaysians crumbled against the Taiwanese onslaught.
If there is any consolation in the defeat the Malaysians became USD35,000 richer for their efforts. The champions took home USD74,000 in prize money.
It has been a remarkable two weeks of competition in Bangkok for Lee Yang-Chi-Lin who also won last week’s Yonex Thailand Open at the same venue beating Malaysian professionals Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong in the final.
This is the second time Aaron-Wooi Yik finished runners-up in a Super 1000 tournament after the Yonex All-England Championships in 2019.
Meanwhile, it was also back-to-back wins for Denmark’s former world champion Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles. This time he demolished compatriot Hans-Kristian Vittinghus in a lop-sided final for a 21-11, 21-7 win and the USD70,000 prize money that came with the title. Last week he defeated Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong China in the final.In the women’s singles final it was another heartbreak for current world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. The 26-year-old again failed to stop Spain’s world number six Carolina Marin in a repeat of last week’s final.
The 27-year-old Olympic champion walked away with a 21-19, 21-17 win in 48 minutes for the winner’s purse of USD70,000 with Tzu Ying taking home USD34,000 for her efforts. In last week’s final Marin won 21-9, 21-16.
The women’s doubles final was an all-Korean affair with fourth seeds Kim So Yeong-Kong Yee Hong winning their first Super 1000 title. They defeated compatriots and third seeds Lee So Hee-Shin Seung Chan 21-18, 21-19 in a 56-minute thriller.
For Thailand, there was a cheer from their top mixed doubles pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh-Sapsiree Taerattanachai when the number one seeds gunned down Seo Seung Jae-Chae YuJung 21-16, 22-20 for their second title in two weeks.
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