Sports
Chen Long, Carolina Marin win titles at Australian Open
Sydney, May 31
China's world No.1 shuttler
Chen Long and Spain's Carolina Marin won the men's and women's singles
titles, respectively, at the Australian Open Superseries here on Sunday.
Reigning
world champion Chen defeated Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 21-12, 14-21,
21-18 in an hour and 17 minutes, while current world champion and third
seeded Carolina got the better of China's former world No.1 and fifth
seeded Shixian Wang 22-20, 21-18 in 58 minutes in the final at the
Sydney Olympic Park.
Axelsen's nerves against the world champion
were showing, pushing the shuttle wide on the Chinese's right side. Chen
kept his cool under the power of Axelsen, using his experience to
strike when needed, taking the first game 21-12, reports Xinhua.
"These
days men's singles is very hard. If you loose the first, you might
loose everything," Chen said. "It doesn't matter if you are number one
or number two. You have to prepare for everything."
World No.9
Axelsen changed his strategy to combat the technical skill of Chen,
using soft drop shots rather then raw power, opening up a six-point lead
at 14-19. Chen fell flat on his feet under pressure, loosing the second
game 14-21.
"I was quite tense in the first game, but I just tried to focus on things I could do to get into a good rhythm," Axelsen said.
The
showdown of the third game served up the best badminton of the
tournament. Chen regained his nerves, using technical skill and quick
thinking to open an early 4-1 lead.
Axelsen responded, forcing
Chen to commit uncharacteristic errors, taking the lead at 10-11. Chen
responded with experience, forcing Axelsen to play shots he didn't want
to and make mistakes at the net, opening a lead to 20-16.
Axelsen used his height and power to regain ground; sending winners tight down the court lines, closing to 20-18.
A deep smash by Chen sent the Dane calling for a challenge, however it became the final point of the game.