Dechapol, Sapsiree Win Mixed Doubles Title at Toyota Thailand Open

Thailand’s Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai have won the mixed doubles badminton title at the Toyota Thailand Open on Sunday.

The top seeds needed 46 minutes to defeat the fourth-seeded South Koreans Seo Seung-Jae and Chae Yu-Jung 21-16, 22-20 in the final at Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani.

After taking the first set, Dechapol and Sapsiree were given a scare as the South Koreans kept the second set in a tight contest. The score was 20-20 before the Thais snatched the last two points to secure their historic win.

The victory made Thai duo back-to-back champions for the first time. They won the Yonex Thailand Open at the same venue on Jan 17 — their first victory in the World Tour Super 1000 mixed doubles titles.

The triumphant shuttlers received another US$74,000 (2.2 million baht) for the win on Sunday, after bagging the same amount a week ago. Their next target is the HSBC BWF World Tour Finals starting on Wednesday.

Spain’s Carolina Marin Wins Back-to-Back Badminton Titles

Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marin on Sunday claimed her second Thailand Open title against women’s singles top seed Tai Tzu-ying. Thailand is hosting three consecutive badminton tournaments in a bio-secure coronavirus bubble, without spectators.

Former world champion Carolina Marin, 27, went into Sunday’s Toyota Thailand Open final without losing a single game across the two tournaments. She won the Yonex Thailand Open final on Jan 17.

The Spaniard claimed the first game 21-19.

The Taiwan’s 26-year-old Tai Tzu-ying appeared to lose her confidence early in the second set, as a dangerous Marin asserted her dominance. Tai also saved four match points but her comeback was too little too late as Marin sealed her victory 21-17.

Marin has also faced an uphill battle to recover from a January 2019 knee injury in time to defend her crown in Tokyo.