Chinese shuttlers win two doubles titles at South Korea Open

YEOSU, South Korea -- Chinese shuttlers clinched the mixed doubles and women's doubles titles at the South Korea Open 2023 here on Sunday.

Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China swept their fellow countrymen Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin in the mixed doubles final, with a scoreline of 21-16, 21-13, in a match that lasted 40 minutes.

Post-match, Feng stated his future objective is to put forth his utmost effort in every game alongside his partner, with an emphasis on the journey rather than the results.

Regarding the imminent Hangzhou Asian Games, Huang stated it would mark the pair's debut at the Asian Games. "We aim to deliver our best performance at the Asian Games."

Wei noted their teammates displayed superior skill today, adapting quickly in terms of techniques, tactics, and mindset. She and her partner intend to persistently aim for a spot among the top four teams worldwide.

In the women's doubles final, China's Olympic silver medalists Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan vanquished South Korea's Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong 21-10, 17-21, 21-7, much to the dismay of the home crowd.

"Although they had a rocky start, Kim, being an experienced young player, along with her partner, made rapid adjustments in the second set, which added pressure on us. Hence, the match was a tough competition," Jia commented post-victory.

"Next year will mark our 10th anniversary as partners, so we aspire to seize every potential win," she further added.

South Korea's An Se-young secured the women's singles gold, having previously defeated the reigning Olympic champion Chen Yufei of China in the semifinals.

In the men's singles final, a tightly contested match saw Anders Antonsen of Denmark claim the title against Singapore's Loh Kean Yew, with scores of 11-21, 21-11, 21-19, over a duration of one hour and eight minutes.

In a surprising turn of events, Indian men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty outshone the top-ranked duo Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto of Indonesia, with scores of 17-21, 21-13, 21-14.