Seoul: Anthony Sinisuka Ginting’s victory over Jonatan Christie in the final of the 2017 Korea Open on Sunday, led him to become the fifth men’s singles player from Indonesia to ever win a Superseries tournament. Ginting’s Korea Open triumph also ended Indonesia’s one-year-long drought in Superseries men’s singles event after Sony Dwi Kuncoro last won the Singapore Open in April of 2016.
Since Badminton World Federation (BWF) introduced the Superseries tournaments on December 14, 2006 and implemented in 2007, there were only five Indonesian men’s singles, namely Taufik Hidayat, Simon Santoso, Sony Dwi Kuncoro, and Tommy Sugiarto had ever won the Superseries title. And on Sunday, Anthony managed to join this elite group of five players.
Ginting took the first set comfortably with 21-13, but started to lose focus half-way through the second set, allowing Christie to claw back and to force a decider with a 19-21 second set win.
In the nail-biting decider, Christie reeled off 5 consecutive points, coming back from 14-18 to take the lead at 19-18. Then, Christie was in hurry to finish up the match by launching an unsuccessful quick attack. Ginting held his nerve, significantly outpaced Jonatan through his cross-court smashing to clinch the title with 22-20 after Christie’s back hand return was out of bound.
Indonesia’s No. 4 seeds Praveen Jordan/Debby Susanto also smashed their ways to the mixed doubles title after battled past unseeded Wang Yilyu/Huang Dongping of China 21-17, 21-18 in 45 minutes.
Nevertheless, the flamboyant men’s doubles No. 2 seeds Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo failed to add another title to the Indonesia camp, going down to the No. 1 seeds Mathias Boe/Carsten Mogensen of Denmark.
This was the second time the Denmark pair had beaten the Indonesian pair in 2017. Boe/Mogensen also outlasted Gideon/Sukamuljo in the Singapore Open semi-final in April.
