# Angus Ng writes history as first local to win home tournament
# It is his maiden Superseries title
# Japanese pair first from the country to win a title in Hong Kong Open
# Second title in two weeks for Olympic champions Tontowi-Liliyana in mixed doubles
By Rizal Abdullah
Hong Kong celebrated when Angus Ng Ka Long won his first Superseries title and in the process wrote badminton history as the first local to win the Hong Kong Open men’s singles title.
History was also written in the men’s doubles final when Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda became the first players from Japan to win a title in the Hong Kong Open – showing plenty of grit and determination to down veteran Danish pair, fourth seeds Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen 21-19, 21-19 in 47 minutes.
Ka Long will certainly cherish the glorious moments in his three-set victory over India’s rising star Sameer Verma. The 22-year-old Ka Long carved out a 21-14, 10-21, 21-11 win over the Indian national champion.
Point to note in the men’s singles final is that it was the battle of the unseeded players. For Verma it fell just short of a fairy tale ending in his bid to win his first Superseries title.
Still, making the final was a remarkable effort from the 22-year-old Verma who was promoted to the main draw because Indonesia’s Jonathan Christie withdrew due to injury. In his previous Superseries tournaments Verma never went beyond the second round.
India’s Olympics silver medallist P.V. Sindhu was stopped in her track from clinching her second Superseries title in two weeks. The Indian lass was beaten in straight sets 15-21, 17-21, by number seed Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan. Tzu Ying was also the 2014 Hong Open champion.
It was sweet revenge for Tzu Ying who had lost to Sindhu in the Rio Olympics. Sindhu won her maiden Superseries title last week when she bagged the Thaihot China Open Superseries Premier with a 21-11, 17-21, 21-11 win over China’s Sun Yu in the final.
Rio Olympics silver medal winners Kamilla Rhytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen of Denmark, the number three seeds, won the women’s doubles title with a 21-19, 21-10 win over China’s Huang Dongping-Li Yunhui in the final.
It was title number two for Indonesia’s Olympic champions Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir in two weeks. Winners of last week’s China Open in Fuzhou, the Indonesians added the Hong Kong Open mixed doubles title to their list.
The seventh seeds defeated second seeds and reigning All-England champions Praveen Jordan-Debby Susanto 21-19, 21-17 in all-Indonesia final.
At the end of the day five nations won five different titles in the Hong Kong Open. The Hong Kong Open is only the third tournament where five different countries won five different titles this year. It happened in this year’s Malaysia Open and the Indonesian Open.
For the record badminton powerhouse China finished empty handed for the second successive tournament. The Chinese also failed to win any title in their home tournament – the Thaihot China Open.
RESULTS (ALL FINALS)
Men’s singles
Angus Ng Ka Long (Hkg) beat Sameer Verma (Ind) 21-14, 10-21, 21-11
Men’s doubles
Takeshi Kamura-Keigo Sonoda (Jpn) beat Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den) 21-19, 21-19
Women’s singles
Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe) P.V. Sindhu (Ind) 21-15, 21-17
Women’s doubles
Kamilla Rhytter Juhl-Christina Pedersen (Den) beat Huang Dongping-Li Yunhui (Chn) 21-19, 21-10
Mixed doubles
Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir (Ina) beat Praveen Jordan-Debby Susanto (Ina) 21-19, 21-17
