Kuala Lumpur: In the final match, world No. 44 Chan Peng Soon and Cheah Yee See secured a long-awaited international championship win after a six-year dry spell, defeating world No. 72 Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Phataimas Muenwong with a score of 21-9, 17-21, 21-10.
The duo’s popularity was evident as numerous fans eagerly awaited their autographs and photographs post-match. In a post-game interview, Chan, who had previously won the 2016 Olympic mixed doubles silver medal with Goh Liu Ying, shared plans to retire from international competition in 2024, aiming to complete the Paris Olympic qualifying period, with the exact date yet to be determined. This means that he and Cheah will continue competing at least until May of the following year, striving to collect as many ranking points as possible for the Paris Olympics.
In men’s singles, Kuala Lumpur native Leong Jun Hao managed to keep the championship title on home turf. He admitted to feeling immense pressure due to high expectations throughout the week, but the 24-year-old, ranked 43rd in the world, made it to the finals. Facing off against Chinese Taipei’s Lee Chia Hao, who was ranked world No. 37, Leong overcame the odds and triumphed with a score of 22-20, 21-13, securing his first international championship of the year. Prior to this victory, he had already claimed the Malaysia national championship in July. This marked Leong Jun Hao’s second international championship in almost a year, following last year’s Indonesia Masters, and his second BWF World Tour-level championship in his career. He expressed his joy at winning in his hometown, sharing, “I was born in Kuala Lumpur and grew up here. This is where I started, so I am very happy to win here.”
Jun Hao had set a goal to rank among the top 32 players this year and intended to participate in three events before year-end, including the Korean Super 300, the Japanese Super 500, and the Indian Super 100. When asked if he still had a chance to achieve his goal, he emphasized the importance of staying focused and taking it one step at a time.
In men’s doubles, Low Hang Yee/Ng Eng Cheong narrowly missed adding another crown for the host country when they lost to Chinese Taipei’s Chen Cheng Kuan/Chen Sheng Fa in the men’s doubles final, with a score of 21-23, 17-21. This would have been their first BWF World Tour championship victory at home.
The women’s singles final showcased Thailand’s reigning World Junior Champion, Pitchamon Opatniputh, who danced with joy upon scoring the winning point. She defeated South Korea’s Kim Joo-Eun with a score of 21-12, 24-22, securing the first BWF World Tour title of her career.
In the women’s doubles final, Thailand’s No. 3 seeds, Laksika Kanlaha and Phataimas Muenwong, triumphed over Lui Lok Lok and Ng Wing Yung after a fierce three-game match, with a score of 16-21, 21-16, 21-16.
At the end of the day, Malaysia and Thailand each claimed two titles, while Chinese Taipei took home one championship.
