Badminton - March 11, 2013

The YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships draws to a close

The final days play at the National Indoor Arena surpassed all expectations on a truly dramatic afternoon of badminton.

The Women’s Singles Final was contested between 18-year-old Ratchanok Inthanon(ARC10) of Thailand and Tine Baun of Denmark.

The Dane was quick out of the blocks and pressed Ratchanok into some strong defensive play. 7th seed Tine finishes the first game stronger winning 21-14. Ratchanok defied her young years, combining aggression and composure to move her opponent around the court. The Thai player took advantage of the open court, smashing her way to a 21-16 victory in the second game. The final game was played at a frantic pace to the continual delight of the Danish and Thai fans in attendance. Baun, who was playing her last ever match, stretched her lead as Ratchanok started to tire. The Dane eventually ran out the victor winning 21-14, 16-21, 21-10.

It was an amazing performance from Ratchanok and there is sure to be many more All England Final appearances for her in the future.

Lee Chong Wei(VTZF) of Malaysia and Chen Long of China contested the Men’s Singles Final in an electric atmosphere.

Second seed Long found his rhythm from the outset and took an early lead in game 1. Chong Wei showed his usual spirit to fight back with some extraordinary defensive play however, Long took the first game 21-17. Chong Wei, playing in his 5th consecutive All England Final, started strongly in the second game. The top seed delivered a number of head-heavy smashes that moved the tall Chinese player around the court. Long defended Chong Wei’s sumptuous net play well and forced his way to a 21-18 second game victory.

The many Malaysian and Chinese fans inside the arena showed fantastic support to both players throughout the match as they showcased dazzling power and precision.

We would like to thank all the players, officials and fans for making the 103rd YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships such a fantastic success. We hope you enjoyed the action.

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Tournament Results - Finals

Men’s Singles

[2]Chen Long (CHN) def. [1]Lee Chong Wei (VTZF)(MAS) 21-17 21-18

Women’s Singles

[7]Tine Baun (DEN) def. [8]Ratchanok Inthanon (ARC10)(THA) 21-14 16-21 21-10

Men’s Doubles

Liu Xiaolong/Qiu Zihan (CHN) def. [4]Hiroyuki Endo(VTZF)/Kenichi Hayakawa (JPN) 21-11 21-9

Women’s Doubles

[1]Wang Xiaoli/Yu Yanf (F) (CHN) def. Cheng Shu/Zhao Yunlei (CHN) 21-18 21-10