Changzhou, China – It had been nearly eight months since Carolina Marin (ESP) played a major tournament on tour, after tearing her ACL in the Indonesian Masters last year. Aside from a brief appearance at the YONEX-SUNRISE Vietnam Open the previous week, the China Open marked her official comeback.
And what a comeback it was to be. Marin, unseeded, fought through match after match against some of the top-ranked women in badminton, to go on to face Tai Tzu Ying in the final, who she had never beaten in their previous six meetings. After getting off to a slow start and dropping the first game, Marin found her footing mid-way through the second game, and pulled ahead at 18-14. She didn’t slow down in the third and went on to defend her China Open title 14-21, 21-17, 21-18. It marks an incredible return for the 2018 World Champion who looked like she hadn’t missed a day off tour.
Kento Momota (JPN) also needed three games to win his first China Open, and revenge last year’s final loss, to Anthony Ginting (INA). After narrowly losing the first game, Momota recovered quickly in the second and recovered his usual agile form, overwhelming Ginting 19-21, 21-17, 21-19.
In men’s doubles, in what is becoming something of a recurring theme, Kevin S. Sukamuljo and Marcus F. Gideon once again faced off against Indonesian compatriots, Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiwan. The results were much the same as they have been in their previous final matchups, with Gideon/Sukamuljo earning a 21-18, 17-21, 21-15 victory.