Bangkok: The Rio Olympic silver medalists Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying got off to a perfect start of 2018 season as they scored a hard fought victory in the Thailand Masters final on Sunday.
The No. 5 seeds Chan/Goh won the first set decisively against No. 7 seeds, Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Puttita Supajirakul of Thailand 21-15. However, the Thai pair took advantage of an error-prone display from Chan/Goh to win the second set 21-14 and to force a decider.
Although they have spent nine months apart after Goh Liu Ying’s shoulder injury, Chan/Goh knew exactly what they need to do on the court during curial moments, as the pair rallied from 4-8, 9-11, to surge ahead 14-11 in the pivotal third set. Although Puavaranukroh/Supajirakul were able to narrow the gap at 13-14, Chan/Goh held their nerves, held the game, and were able to get past the finish line by winning the third set 21-16.
The Thailand Masters was Chan/Goh’s first title together since winning the 2016 New Zealand Open by defeating Zheng Siwei/Li Yinhui of China 21-19, 22-20.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s 19-year-old Leong Jun Hao able to stage a superb and spirited challenge against No. 2 seed Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia in the men’s singles final, however, the more experienced Indonesian showed his class to break Leong in straight sets to secure the victory 21-16, 21-15 in 43 minutes.
“Although I lost in the final, but I am happy with my achievement at Thailand Masters. I was able to learn many things from Tommy, such as how he ran his offensive and defensive strategies, which had given me a lot of tough times,” said Leong.
Other than mixed doubles and men’s singles titles, Thailand secured three other events through Nitchaon Jindapol in women’s singles, Tinn Isriyanet/Kittisak Namdash in men’s doubles and Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Prajongjai in the women’s doubles event.
