|
Anders Antonsen won his first tournament of the season at the TOYOTA Thailand Open 2026, prevailing over defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in a dramatic final that lasted a marathon 97 minutes.
The Dane captured his first Thailand Open, keeping his wits about him in a final that swung one way and then another. The most dramatic of these shifts happened in the third game, in which Vitidsarn recovered from 1-6 down to take 11 of the next 12 points and appear headed for victory. However, Antonsen showed great character to keep chipping away at the lead, until he caught up at 15. From there it was a neck-and-neck battle, until Vitidsarn gave away the advantage with a serve that went long.
Antonsen capitalised on that opening to finally close out one of the most memorable finals of his career.
Yamaguchi Back Atop Podium
Like Antonsen, Akane Yamaguchi too won her first title of the year, but in contrasting fashion. The Japanese was too quick and sharp for Chen Yu Fei. The Chinese did appear to find her bearings in the second game to take the lead, but Yamaguchi’s breathtaking retrieval skills wore Chen down and swung the match the Japanese’s way.
“Of course it was great to win the final and I’m very happy,” said Yamaguchi. “I’m thrilled to have won because I was able to show a good level in the match. In the first game, I felt that Chen played a little slow so I was able to use my greater speed. In the second game too, I played a similar speed and was able to win.”
Bao Li Jing/Cao Zi Han achieved success in their first tournament as a pair, beating Rin Iwanaga/Kie Nakanishi 19-21 21-16 21-15 after trailing through most of the third game.
Text from BWF
|
