Zheng Siwei (R)/Huang Yaqiong of China attend the awarding ceremony after the mixed doubles final match against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand at the BWF Thailand Open Badminton Championships 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
BANGKOK, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese pair Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong defeated Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai for the mixed doubles title at the badminton Thailand Open here on Sunday.
In the event's final between the top two seeds of the tournament, Zheng and Huang were dominant in most parts of the match despite some hiccup in the second set. They retook the control in the third set to win by 21-12, 18-21 and 21-14.
It was also the second consecutive victory after the Asian Championship for Zheng and Huang, a sign of rebound for the former world No.1 after their defeat at the Tokyo Olympic final. "We are building our confidence match by match, and the title is a great encouragement for us," said Huang.
It was also the only title for the Chinese badminton team in the Thailand Open as Li Shifeng and Chen Yufei lost in the men's and women's singles finals respectively.
In the men's singles final, despite the massive discrepancy in the world ranking, Li was just one step away from a career breakthrough when he led Malaysia's world number six Lee Zii Jia in the deciding set and had a champion point in hand. But he couldn't grasp the opportunity and lost by 17-21, 21-11 and 23-21.
In the women's singles final between the two Tokyo Olympic finalists, Chen was only able to outpace Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the second set in which she tied the match. Tai called the shots in the final set to win the match at 21-15, 17-21 and 21-12.
In the men's doubles final, Japanese pair Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi benefited from the early retirement of Indonesia's Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto to win the title.
In an all-Japanese women's doubles final, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida beat teammates Mayu Matsumoto and Wakana Nagahara to win the title. ■
Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong (front) of China compete during the mixed doubles final match against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand at the BWF Thailand Open Badminton Championships 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong (L) of China compete during the mixed doubles final match against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand at the BWF Thailand Open Badminton Championships 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Zheng Siwei (L)/Huang Yaqiong of China celebrate after the mixed doubles final match against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand at the BWF Thailand Open Badminton Championships 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Zheng Siwei (R)/Huang Yaqiong of China react during the mixed doubles final match against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand at the BWF Thailand Open Badminton Championships 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Zheng Siwei (L)/Huang Yaqiong of China compete during the mixed doubles final match against Dechapol Puavaranukroh/Sapsiree Taerattanachai of Thailand at the BWF Thailand Open Badminton Championships 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Li Shifeng of China competes during the men's singles final against Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Li Shifeng (L) of China and Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia attend the awarding ceremony after the men's singles final at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Li Shifeng of China competes during the men's singles final against Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Li Shifeng of China reacts during the men's singles final against Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Chen Yufei of China hits a return during the women's singles final against Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Chen Yufei of China hits a return during the women's singles final against Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Chen Yufei of China hits a return during the women's singles final against Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Chen Yufei of China hits a return during the women's singles final against Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
Tai Tzu-Ying of Chinese Taipei hits a return during the women's singles final against Chen Yufei of China at the BWF Thailand Open 2022 badminton championships in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)
