The YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships came to its exciting conclusion on March 8th, with Team YONEX pivotal to some of the final day’s most fierce matches.
In a repeat of 2014’s Australian Open final, Carolina Marin (NANORAY Z-SPEED, SHB-02LX) and Saina Nehwal (NANORAY 900) went up against each other to fight for another Superseries title in an all-NANORAY match. Entering the final with a perfect run of straight-set victories, Saina dominated game 1 with her speed, and boasted incredible court coverage throughout rallies. The Indian shuttler landed dynamic smashes even from the very back of the court, grasping the opening game. However, Carolina was not to be outdone.
The Spanish shuttler began to show off ferocious attacks mid-way through game 1, which would connect to her domination throughout the remainder of the match. Carolina retaliated against Saina’s bold shots with low-trajectory rallies and deep clears, leaving Saina with few answers. After 12-13, Carolina only allowed one point slip away as she came down on Saina with overwhelming attacks. The 2014 World Champion took complete control in the decider, continuing with persistent deep clears and drop shots, throwing Saina off balance and forcing errors. Demonstrating excellent control in rallies, Carolina grabbed eight consecutive points from 8-4, sealing the whole match at 16-21 21-14 21-7. This marks Carolina’s first title at the prestigious tournament.
In men’s doubles, 2011 champions Mathias Boe (ARCSABER 11, SHBSC6iEX)/Carsten Mogensen (ARCSABER 11, SHB87LTD) fought for their second All England crown against Chinese pair Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan. The two sides opened with a fierce exchange of low drives, with rallies so rapid that spectators had no time to blink. The Danish pair took control at 13-13, running away with the first game. Game 2 saw the Danes rushing to catch up with the Chinese pair as they maintained the lead. However, the world No. 2 doubles pair steadily increased the pressure against their opponents, constantly luring them to the net and coming down with heavy hits. As the pressure was starting taking its toll on Fu, who made continuous service and reception errors, Mathias/Carsten finally had match point in sight at 20-19. The match tied again at 20-20, but the Danes continued to close in and force errors, grabbing two consecutive points to close the match at 21-17 22-20.
In men’s singles, Jan O. Jorgensen's (VOLTRIC 80 E-tune, SHBSC6iEX) semifinal match pitted him against Japan’s Sho Sasaki. While Jan had lost to the Japanese shuttler two times in the past, in a repeat of their YONEX German Open match, Jan won once again, with a 21-11 21-12 scoreline. The World No. 2 Dane faced China’s Chen Long in the final, and managed to grab six consecutive points in the first game against the World No. 1, coming down on him strong. In the final game Jan managed to score four consecutive points on Long’s match point, resulting in an epic 87-minute match that had fans on the edge of their seats. Jan had an incredible run at this year’s All England Open, seizing every match through to the semifinal in straight sets.
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YONEX All England Open Badminton Championships 2015 Tournament Results
Men’s Singles
[1] Chen Long (CHN) def. [2] Jan O. Jorgensen (VOLTRIC 80 E-tune, SHBSC6iEX)(DEN) 15-21 21-17 21-15
Women’s Singles
[6] Carolina Marin (NANORAY Z-SPEED, SHB-02LX)(ESP) def. [3] Saina Nehwal (NANORAY 900, SHB-02LX)(IND) 16-21 21-14 21-7
Men’s Doubles
[2] Mathias Boe (ARCSABER 11, SHBSC6iEX)/Carsten Mogensen (ARCSABER 11, SHB87LTD)(DEN) def. Fu Haifeng/Zhang Nan (CHN) 21-17 22-20