PETALING JAYA; Malaysia’s Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing ended their five-year title drought after defeating the South Korean pair of Ko Sung Hyun-Eom Hye Won in the final played this morning in Suncheon City.
The Malaysians, placed number 10 in the world rankings, were in top form as they cruised past the experienced homesters in straight games 21-15, 21-18.
In the semi-final yesterday, they showed devastating form to defeat Indonesia’s Rinov Rivaldy-Pitha Haningtyas Mentari also in straight games 21-13, 22-20.
Kian Meng-Pei Jing had set their sights on winning a World Tour event since last tasting success at the 2017 Malaysia Masters.
The Malaysians showed much consistency by not dropping a single game throughout the tournament, something which is considered a rare feat.
In the first game in the final, they were trailing 7-12 before powering their way to take the lead at 14-11. They never looked back after that, dropping just another point before taking the first game at 21-15.
The Koreans tried to fight back in the second game in a bid to force a rubber, but Kian Meng-Pei Jing were in no mood for compromise, taking the second game and match at 21-18.
For the record, Kian Meng-Pei Jing are also the only Malaysians after Lee Chong Wei to win the Korea Open title since the tournament’s inception in 1991.
The former Malaysian ace won the singles title in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
With the win, Kian Meng-Pei Jing took home US$28,440 (RM120,000), while Sung Hyun-Hye Won settled for US$13,680 (RM57,750). - FMT
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