Spain's Marin Claims Back-to-back Badminton Titles In Bangkok

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Spain's Marin claims back-to-back badminton titles in Bangkok

Bangkok, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jan, 2021 ) :Reigning Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marin on Sunday claimed her second Thailand Open title in a fortnight against the same opponent -- women's singles top seed Tai Tzu-ying.

Thailand is hosting three consecutive badminton tournaments in a bio-secure coronavirus bubble, without spectators.

Former world champion Marin, 27, went into Sunday's final without losing a single game across the two tournaments.

In a much tighter contest than the first final last week, the Spaniard claimed the first game 21-19.

The Taiwanese 26-year-old appeared to lose her confidence early in the second set, as a dangerous Marin asserted her dominance.

Tai saved four match points but her comeback was too little too late as Marin sealed her victory 21-17.

The first non-Asian women's player to win an Olympic badminton gold, Marin has faced an uphill battle to recover from a January 2019 knee injury in time to defend her crown in Tokyo.

The men's final will see two Danes face off -- fourth seed Viktor Axelsen and Hans-Kristian Solberg Vittinghus.

Solberg Vittinghus, ranked 42, made the tournament from a reserves list and had to cancel a flight home because he had not anticipated a finals berth.

The women's doubles was an all Korean affair with sixth-ranked Kim So-yeong and Kong Hee-yong too strong against fourth-ranked Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan 21-18, 21-19.

In the men's doubles, seventh-ranked Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin of Taiwan also made it back-to-back titles in 36 minutes against Malaysia's ninth-ranked Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-13, 21-18.

In the mixed doubles, Thailand's third seeds Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Dechapol Puavaranukroh will play sixth-ranked Koreans Seo Seung-ae and Chae Yujung.

Four people involved in the tournaments, including two players, have tested positive for the coronavirus during the past fortnight of competition.

The finale -- the Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals -- kicks off on Wednesday at the Impact Arena and will be contested by the top eight of each discipline.

Chinese and Japanese athletes have not participated in the Bangkok tournaments.