Taiwanese badminton player Su Li-yang won the men’s singles championship at the Yonex US Open in Fullerton, California on Sunday, while Hsu Yin-hui and Liu Kuang-heng secured the mixed doubles title.
Su, ranked No. 46 in the world, defeated world No. 38 Srikanth Kidambi of India 21-15, 16-21, 21-9 at the 17th Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour stop.
It was Su’s first professional title, following two gold medal wins in BWF junior competitions in 2018 and 2019.
Photo provided by coach Li Song-yuan
In 2023, Su took silver at the Taipei Open and finished runner-up four times at lower-level BWF international challenges and series events.
Su had been struggling and unable to reach the top, his coach Lee Sung-yuan said.
Lee said Su would play hastily, attempting to defeat his opponents quickly and prove himself.
The player soon worked himself into a vicious cycle of failing to secure a title and lost confidence, Lee said.
“That was why when facing Srikanth today, he was asked to be patient and control the pace,” Lee said.
Taiwan won gold and silver in the mixed doubles final at the US Open as well, with Hsu and Liu prevailing 21-9, 21-11 against Wu Hsuan-yi and Yang Chu-Yun.
As Hsu and Liu had only recently teamed up, they are ranked No. 121 in the world, but they rapidly defeated Wu and Yang, the world No. 49 duo and winners of the mixed doubles title at the BWF’s 61st Portugal International Championships in March.
Liu and Hsu controlled most of the two-game match, leaving their opponents trailing nine points in the first game, which saw the score reach 11-2.
“Almost the entire game was played at our pace,” Liu said. “That was how we were able to stay ahead.”
“We were very clear about our responsibilities today,” Hsu added. “We did well serving and returning, and we were able to quickly communicate and adjust our play when we made mistakes.”
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