Li Shifeng brushes aside Leong Jun Hao for first title of 2024
Earlier, Li Shifeng defeated unseeded Malaysian Leong Jun Hao 21-10, 21-13 to claim his first title since the US Open in July 2023.
Leong had enjoyed a spectacular week, reaching his first-ever Super 500 final and his first World Tour final since the 2018 Thailand Masters. The 25-year-old had done it the hard way, winning all four of his matches in three games, including a gruelling encounter with Jonathan Christie on Saturday.
Li had won the pair’s previous three meetings in straight games and raced into an early 6-1 lead with Leong – already sporting hefty strapping on both legs – taking a medical timeout for a grazed finger.
The 27-year-old from People’s Republic of China, who beat Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the semi-finals, won the battle for superiority at the net and stayed clear to take the opening game.
Leong staged something of a fightback at the start of the second, going into a 5-2 lead. However, the tank was all but empty with Li’s tactical prowess seeing him win 14 of the next 16 points on his way to a victory that boosts his hopes of making the BWF Tour Finals on home soil.
That was China’s second title of the day after Olympic women’s doubles silver medallists Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning eased past home pair Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto 21-15, 21-5 for their fifth title of the year.
In just their third tournament as a pairing, Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran won their first BWF World Tour title by beating France’s mixed doubles champions Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue 21-17 in the deciding game.
The men’s doubles final was also close with Indonesia’s third seeds Dawn Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto getting the better of Japan’s Hoki Takuro and Kobayashi Yugo 21-17 in the third.
