In a repeat of the recent YONEX French Open final, Danish doubles experts Mathias Boe (ARCSABER 11, SHBSC6iEX)/Carsten Mogensen (ARCSABER 11, SHB87LTD) came out victorious over two-time YONEX All England finalists Hiroyuki Endo (VOLTRIC Z-FORCE Ⅱ)/Kenichi Hayakawa. While the duo from Denmark holds a 5-1 record over the Japanese shuttlers, previous encounters have proven consistently close. After dropping a close first game against the Japanese, the two edged out a win in game 2. Being lead by the Japanese pair 16-19—two points away from a complete loss—the Danes turned it around by grabbing five consecutive points to force a decider. The two went on to seize a confident victory in the final game, closing the match at 16-21, 21-19, 21-16.
In women’s singles, 17-year-old Japanese rising star and two-time BWF “Most Promising Player of the Year” (2013, 2014) Akane Yamaguchi (VOLTRIC 80) faced fellow YONEX player and last year’s world champion Ratchanok Intanon (VOLTRIC 70 E-tune, SHBF1NLX). The match proved to be a battle of clashing strategies, with the two shuttlers trying to one-up the other tactically. Akane boasted solid defence, and stunned the Thai shuttler with her unpredictable plays. Akane took the first game with a healthy lead, and it was looking like game 2 would be a repeat, until Ratchanok came back with a vengeance, taking the match into the decider. However, it was Akane that came out the winner, with the match ending at 21-15, 16-21, 21-12.
In the evening, Saina Nehwal (NANORAY 900) continued to prove India’s badminton prowess, securing a straight-sets win over Sung Ji Hyun of Korea. Saina expertly controlled the court, and closed the opening game with a confident nine-point gap over the Korean shuttler. The second game saw Saina’s opponent come back with a degree of aggression, but after a 3-3 tie at the start of the game, Saina gained the lead and never dropped it, winning the match at 21-12, 21-18.
In women’s doubles, defending Danish champions Kamilla Rytter Juhl (NANORAY 900)/Christinna Pedersen (NANORAY 800, SHB-01LX) registered their first win of the tournament, overpowering Korean pair Chang Ye Na/Kim So Yeong. The Koreans proved to be a bit of challenge in the match’s opener, but Kamilla and Christinna ran way with the match in the second game, registering a 21-15, 21-12 win.
Fans Meet Peter Gade
Badminton legend Peter Gade came out to meet badminton fans at The Hamdan Sports Complex. Masses of fans gathered to play short matches with the five-time European Champion. After fans got a chance to play with one of badminton’s greats, Peter signed autographs and took pictures.
BWF Destination Dubai World Superseries Finals Tournament Results
Men’s Singles (Round Robin)
Kenichi Tago (NANORAY Z-SPEED)(JPN) def. Son Wan Ho (KOR) 21-9, 11-3 ret.
Kento Momota (VOLTRIC Z-FORCE II)(JPN) def. Jan O. Jorgensen (VOLTRIC Z-FORCE II , SHBSC6iEX)(DEN) 20-22, 21-18, 21,12
K. Srikanth (IND) def. Tommy Sugiarto (ARCSABER 11, SHB-87EX) 21-18, 21-13
Women’s Singles (Round Robin)
Saina Nehwal (NANORAY 900)(IND) def. Sung Ji Hyun (KOR) 21-12, 21-8
Akane Yamaguchi (VOLTRIC 80)(JPN) def. Ratchanok Intanon (VOLTRIC 70 E-tune, SHBF1NLX)(THA) 21-15, 16-21, 21-12
Men’s Doubles (Round Robin)
Mathias Boe (ARCSABER 11, SHBSC6iEX)/Carsten Mogensen (ARCSABER 11, SHB87LTD) def. Hiroyuki Endo (VOLTRIC Z-FORCE II )/Kenichi Hayakawa (JPN) 16-21, 21-19, 21-16
Women’s Doubles (Round Robin)
Ayaka Takahashi (VOLTRIC 80)/Misaki Matsutomo (JPN) def. Jung Kyung Eun/Kim Ha Na (KOR) 21-15, 13-21, 21-12
Kamilla Rytter Juhl (NANORAY 900)/Christinna Pedersen (NANORAY 800, SHB-01LX)(DEN) def. Chang Ye Na/Kim So Yeong (KOR) 21-15, 21-12
Luo Ying/Luo Yu (CHN) def. Reika Kakiiwa (VOLTRIC 80)/Miyuki Maeda (VOLTRIC 70 E-tune)(JPN) 21-13, 21-14
Mixed Doubles (Round Robin)
Zhang Nan/Zhao Yunlei (CHN) def. Chris Adcock (VOLTRIC Z-FORCE II, SHB01LTD)/Gabrielle Adcock (VOLTRIC Z-FORCE II ,SHBSC4LX)(ENG) 21-14, 21-17
Michael Fuchs (VOLTRIC 80, SHBSC6iEX/Birgit Michels (NANORAY 700FX, SHBSC4LX) def. Ko Sung Hyun/Kim Ha Na (KOR) 16-21, 21-19, 21-19
Christinna Pedersen (NANORAY800, SHB-01LX)/Joachim Fischer Nielsen (DEN) def. 21-15, 22-20
*Photos of Mathias, Carsten, Akane and Saina taken at the 2014 YONEX French Open
*Photo of Kamilla and Christinna taken at the 2014 YONEX Denmark Open