Yonex Thailand Open 2021: Carolina Marin outclasses Tai Tzu Ying to clinch the title
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The most awaited finally arrived. The finals of the Super 1000, Yonex Thailand Open. It was an elite tournament after the All England in March 2020, and the one tournament conducted in October 2020, The Denmark Open.
The finals day at Impact Arena, Bangkok started off with the mixed doubles category. The first seeded Thai pair of Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taeratattanachai got the better of Praven Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti of Indonesia who were the second seeds. The first game was one sided with the Thai winning 21-3. In a spectacular comeback, the Indonesians took away the seocnd game 22-20. The third game was a do or die for both pairs as they fought and the Thai pair emerged victorius 21-18. It was a great starat for the host coutry with the first title going their way.
In the women’s doubles category, Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu comfortably beat their Thai opponents Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-15, 21-12 in 52 minutes. Greysia won a third Thailand Open title with this victory.
Also Read: Yonex Thailand Open 2021: Women’s Singles Finals Preview, Head to Head & Prediction
Carolina Marin vs Tai Tzu Ying, Women’s singles final, Thailand Open- review
One of the most awaited finals was the clash of titans Carolina Marin of Spain and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei. Known to be among the best players in this world, it was expected to be treat to watch this final match. However the match was disappointing for those who expected a spectacular, elite class fight from both players.
The Spaniard Carolina Marin was in brilliant form. He pace was too good, and strokes spot-on, finding the line, perfect length and angles. Errors were few from her end, unlike the game she played in the semi-finals against An Se Young.
The top-seed on the other hand had a contrasting story. She had pulled a great comeback in the second game in her semi-final, winning the match from being 16-20 down. She looked in great form with fluid court movement and delightful deception. In the final, Tai Tzu was completely off the mark. The unforced errors from her end were innumerable. With no discredit to Marin’s performance, Tai Tzu did give away many points to her opponent. It was noticed that Tai seemed in distress and was struggling. He body slouched during the mid-game breaks and she kept touching her belly and grimaced often, showing signs of some kind of physical distressed. He court movement seemed slow. Marin’s pace outclassed Tai. The first game was one at much ease 21-9. The second game was slightly better where Tai managed to construct a few rallies and pick up a couple of points in her favour. However, it wasn’t enough to go into a decider. Marin won the match 21-9, 21-16 in 42 minutes.
This is truly a brilliant comeback for the Rio Gold medalist who is eyeing the gold at Tokyo. This was Marin’s second title after the career-threatening injury she faced. What a strong comeback indeed, given the whole periods of uncertainty, difficult personal life as her father passed away last year and training issues due to the pandemic.
Post-match, it was also told by Tai Tzu Ying through a social media post that she was unwell, and couldn’t play her best. However, The Taiwanese too is gunning for a medal at Tokyo as she has no Olympic medals. She would definitely want to add that to her kitty apart from her stellar title-winning sprees and 148 weeks of being numero uno.
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Medha Kattige
(117 Articles Published)