National women’s singles player Ho Yen Mei displayed some fighting qualities to take the Russian Open title after a hard-fought three-game battle against Japan’s Shiori Ebihara on Sunday.
The Malaysian, who won the Polish title in 2015 toiled for a good 67 minutes before prevailing 22-20, 11-21, 21-18 against the gritty Japanese.
If Yen Mei was good news there was bad news for women’s doubles Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean who fell to straight games 18-21, 18-21 defeat in 42 minutes against Japan’s Chisato Hoshi-Kie Nakahishi in the final.
National discards Mohd Arif Abdul Latif-Nur Mohd Azriyn Ayob walked away with the men’s doubles title without lifting their racquets when Russian second seeds Konstantine Abramov-Alexandr Zinchenko conceded a walkover due to injury.
It has been a remarkable run for the Malaysian professionals who had stunned top seeds and former All England champions Vladimir Ivanov-Ivan Sozonov 16-21, 21-19, 21-19 in the semi-finals.
The men’s singles title was won by India’s No 8 seed Sourabh Verma who beat Japan’s Koki Watanabe 18-21, 21-12, 21-17 in an hour-long final. RIZAL ABDULLAH
RESULTS (ALL FINALS)
MS: Sourabh Verma (Ind) beat Koki Watanabe (Jpn) 18-21, 21-12, 21-17
MD: Mohd Arif Latif-Nur Azriyn Ayob (Mas) w/o Konstantin Abramov-Alexandr Zinchenko (Rus)
WS: Ho Yen Mei (Mas) beat Shiori Ebihara (Jpn) 22-20, 11-21, 21-18
WD: Chisato Hoshi-Kie Nakahishi (Jpn) beat Chow Mei Kuan-Lee Meng Yean (Mas) 21-18, 21-18
XD: Vladimir Ivanov-Kim Min-kyung (Rus/Kor) beat Rohan Kapoor-Kuhoo Garg (Ind) 21-19, 21-7
