Over 3,500 fans in attendance at opening day of the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2023
HEE Yong Kai Terry and TAN Wei Han Jessica (SGP) in Mixed Doubles action at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open. PHOTO: SINGAPORE BADMINTON ASSOCIATION
Singapore, 7 June 2023 – The highly anticipated Karim Family Foundation (KFF) Singapore Badminton Open presented by JK Technology commenced yesterday, treating over 3,500 fans to a day filled with captivating matches across all categories.
As the world's best players took to the courts, the opening day set a high standard for a week of thrilling badminton action at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Akane YAMAGUCHI (JPN) in action at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2023. PHOTO: SINGAPORE BADMINTON ASSOCIATION
Yamaguchi Emerges Victorious in Women’s Singles Showdown
In the women's singles category, defending champion P.V. Sindhu faced off against world no. 1 Akane Yamaguchi in an intense battle that went the distance.
After a gruelling three-game encounter, Japan’s Yamaguchi emerged victorious, taking down the defending champion with a score of 18-21, 21-19, 21-17.
The reigning two-time World Champion, who is celebrating her 26th birthday today, said after her victory: “Among all the players today, Pursarla was the one whom I have a greater number of losses as compared to wins against.
As today is also my birthday, I am very happy that I was able to go against the odds and secure this win.”
SHI Yu Qi (CHN) was dominant in the Men's Singles at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2023. PHOTO: SINGAPORE BADMINTON OPEN
Shi Dominates in Men’s Singles Clash
Fans were treated to an intense showdown in the men's singles category as two of the world’s top 10, Jonatan Christie and Shi Yu Qi, clashed on the court.
With both players displaying exceptional talent, it was Shi who showcased his dominance, especially in the second game, emerging victorious with a score of 21-19, 21-12.
Shi's performance established him as a force to be reckoned with in the tournament, and the 27-year-old said: “I think in the first round, both of us performed really well and were really close in terms of the points gained. However, at the final crucial part, he made mistakes before I did, allowing me to win the first round. For the second round, I seized the opportunity to secure the win.”
Men's Doubles: Ben LANE and Sean VENDY (ENG) victorious after upsetting Alfian and Arianto. PHOTO: SINGAPORE BADMINTON ASSOCIATION
Lane and Vendy Upset Alfian and Arianto in Men’s Doubles
The biggest upset of the day occurred in the men's doubles category as the top seeds, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto from Indonesia, faced off against underdogs Ben Lane and Sean Vendy.
In a battle that lasted 42 minutes, the British duo showcased their tactical prowess against the world number one, ultimately emerging victorious in straight sets with a score of 21-15, 21-18.
Reflecting on the match, Lane remarked, “It is a great [win] for us, obviously the world no. 1. We had lots of close matches with them over the last three years. We were coming in feeling pretty confident, and we were playing well last week, where we were two points away from beating the winners."
"We’re always confident that if we manage to play our game, we can definitely beat any player and go really deep in this tournament, which is hopefully what we’re going to do this week.”
Fajar ALFIAN and Muhammad Rian ARDIANTO (INA) fell at the hands of Ben LANE and Sean VENDY (ENG) in the Men's Doubles at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open 2023. PHOTO: SINGAPORE BADMINTON ASSOCIATION
Defending Champions Carnando and Marthin Triumph in Men’s Doubles
Defending champions Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin from Indonesia faced a formidable challenge from the Thai pair of Supak Jomkoh and Kittinupong Kedren.
In an intense matchup that lasted an hour and 15 minutes, the Indonesians demonstrated their resilience by coming back from a game down to secure a hard-fought victory with a score of 16-21, 21-16, 21-16.
Danish Duo Overcome Local Favourites in Mixed Doubles
The mixed doubles category was one that was filled with intense battles and remarkable comebacks. The Danish duo Mathias Christiansen and Alexandra Boje faced local favourites, Terry Hee and Jessica Tan.
The thrilling encounter lasted over an hour, with the Danes displaying resilience and composure despite the strong home support for the Singaporeans to eventually clinch the win with a score of 20-22, 21-13, 21-13.
Despite the loss, Tan focused on the positives and said: “The support from the home crowd was definitely really encouraging, and I believe that was one factor that helped us win to take the first game. Because, head to head, we have lost to this Danish pair four or five times, I believe."
"So this is the first time we managed to push them to three games, so I think to take away the positives. This was a little breakthrough for us against them, especially on home ground. We just really like to thank our friends and fans for their support.”
Team China Dominates in Both Mixed and Women’s Doubles
In another mixed doubles match, top seeds Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong from China faced the duo of Yang Po-Hsuan and Hu Ling Fang from Chinese Taipei. Zheng and Huang demonstrated their prowess and dominance on the court, securing a convincing win in just 26 minutes with a score of 21-18, 21-9.
The women's doubles category saw yet another dominant performance from Team China when the Chinese pair of Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan came up against Korea’s Choi Sol-Gyu and Wu Ye-ji. Chen and Jia showed why they were the ones to beat at the KFF Singapore Badminton Open, securing a commanding victory in just 26 minutes with a score of 21-12, 21-13.
The KFF Singapore Badminton Open continues today with more round of 32 matches, promising more exhilarating battles and showcasing the skills of locals Yeo Jia Min, Loh Kean Yew and women’s doubles pair Jin Yu Jia and Crystal Wong, along with defending champion and world no. 2 Anthony Sinisuka Gintang and two-time Singapore Badminton Open champion Tai Tzu Ying.
Organised by the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA), the KFF Singapore Badminton Open is a Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Super 750 series event with a prize purse of US$850,000.
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster, with season ticket pricing ranging from S$120 to S$380 for season tickets.