2016 celcom axiata Malaysia Open - logo W650xH230# First title in four finals for Chinese pair Yuanting-Yu Yang

# ‘We settled in the second set to stabilise things – Sa-rang

By Rizal Abdullah

It was the day of the fifth seeds in the women’s and men’s doubles finals in the Celcom Axiata Malaysia Open Superseries Premier at the Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam on Sunday.

Fifth seeds and All England runners-up Tang Yuanting-Yu Yang of China walked away with first title of the year in four finals with a 21-11, 21-17 win over South Koreans Jung Kyung-eun-Shin Seung-chan in the women’s doubles final.

The title came with USD43,450 in prize money for the champions who were seeded No 5 in the Malaysian Open, The Koreans, seeded No 7, took home USD20,900 for their efforts.

“We are happy to win the title in Malaysia. It means a lot to us after losing our three previous finals this year. We are focused on the Olympics and it will serve us well in our buildup to Rio,” said Yuanting.

“We are still struggling to get our act together. The rhythm is not there but we have been improving in each tournament.”

In the men’s doubles final fifth seeds Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang romped to the men’s doubles title with a 21-19, 21-15 win over fourth seeds Chai Biao-Hong Wei in 36 minutes.

Kim Gi-jung-Kim Sa-rang, who knocked top seeds and teammates Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong 21-16, 21-12 in the semi-finals were also USD43,450 richer for winning the title after a tough first set.

“We had tough time adjusting to the windy conditions in the first set. However, we settled well in the second set and found the rhythm for an easier win, said Sa-rang on their first Premier title.

“This is our fourth win over Chai Biao-Hong Wei. It has been a good tournament for us in Malaysia and we gained momentum from the quarter-finals stage,

“No doubt we beat our seniors Yong-dae-Yoo-seong in the semifinals but we are still learning from them. We know each others play well and on the day (in the semis) we performed better to win,” added Sa-rang.

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