Indonesia female badminton player, Fitriani, also called Fitri presented Indonesia’s first title in the 2019 opener by winning the Thailand Masters by defeating the host representative, Busanan Ongbumrungphan, in two straight games, 21-12, 21-14 for 41 minutes. “Today I am only trying to play optimally, be more patient and safer, do not make my own mistakes. Actually the opponent is not easy to turn off. Her performance is almost the same as our previous meeting at the 2018 Korea Masters, but it seems she is not playing well, she made many own mistakes” explained Fitri about the final match.
Fitri’s journey to the title began with the first dramatic match. In the first half, Fitri beat Lee Ying Ying (Malaysia), with a score of 18-21, 21-9, 23-21. In the third game, Fitri, who was left behind 13-20, was able to catch up and beat the opponent and win the match. In the second half, Fitri made a surprise by beating first seed Thailand’s strongest representative, Nitchaon Jindapol, with a score of 21-10, 17-21, 21-16. The three games match again passed by Fitri in the quarter-finals against Yeo Jia Min (Singapore), with a score of 14-21, 21-15, 21-18. Fitri again had to fight rubber games against Deng Joy Xuan (Hong Kong), who had previously been shocked by getting rid of Li Michelle, the third seed from Canada. Fitri won in the battle for 55 minutes, with a score of 12-21, 21-19, 21-16. This title was the first title for Fitri in the BWF World Tour Super 300 tournament. Previously, she had won in Indonesia International Series 2015 and Indonesia International Challenge 2016. This victory made Fitriani who before the tournament was ranked 33rd in the world now up one level. It will be interesting to see the remarkable journey of Fitri in the upcoming matches.
Here are the full results of the 2019 Thailand Masters:
Mixed Doubles: Chan Peng Soon / Goh Liu Ying (Malaysia) vs. Dechapol Puavaranukroh / Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand): 21-16, 21-15;
Men’s Doubles: Goh V Shem / Tan Wee Kiong (Malaysia) vs. Lu Ching Yao / Yang Po Han (Taiwan): 21-13, 21-17;
Men’s single: Kean Yew Loh (Singapore) vs. Lin Dan (China): 21-18, 21-18;
Women’s Doubles: Puttita Supajirakul / Sapsire Taerattanachai (Thailand) vs. Li Wenmei / Zheng Yu (China): 15-21, 21-15, 21-10;
Women’s Single: Fitriani (Indonesia) V Busanan Ongbamrungphan (Thailand): 21-12 , 21-14.
ASL