Chou wins badminton crown in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Taiwan shuttler Chou Tien-chen won the men’s singles at the Indonesia Open badminton tournament Sunday, his first title in a Super 1000 level event.

The world number three became the first Taiwanese to win the title at the Indonesia Open, after defeating Denmark’s Anders Antonsen 21-18, 24-26, 21-15 in 91 minutes.

“It was a good game, both of us pressured each other for 90 minutes, it was a long game ... and exhausting,” the 29-year-old said through an interpreter after the match.

In the women’s singles, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi clinched the title after defeating India’s Pusarla V. Sindhu 21-15, 21-16.

She only advanced to the final for the first time after demolishing Taiwan’s world number one Tai Tzu-ying on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles, Japanese duo Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota beat their compatriots Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi 21-16, 21-18.

In an all-Chinese mixed doubles, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong outclassed Wang Yilyu and Huang Dongping 21-13, 21-18 to clinch the title.

The men’s doubles final was an all-Indonesian affair with the world’s top-ranked pair Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo besting Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan 21-19 and 21-16.

The powerhouse duo — affectionately dubbed the “Minions” after the yellow characters in a popular 2015 animated film — praised their opponents and fellow countrymen for their fast-paced game.

“We were very lucky in the first game, we relied a lot on luck. It was extremely difficult to predict their moves,” Sukamuljo told a press conference.