Singapore's Yeo Jia Min wins German Open, ends badminton World Tour title drought
This is Yeo's first badminton World Tour title since August 2019 when she won the Super 100 Hyderabad Open.
Yeo Jia Min reacts during the German Open final. (Photo: Badmintonphoto)
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SINGAPORE: World number 13 Yeo Jia Min clinched her first Badminton World Federation (BWF) title since 2019 after beating Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh on Sunday (Mar 2).
At the Westenergie Sporthalle in Mulheim, Germany, Singapore's top women's singles player saw off her opponent 21-16, 21-17 in 41 minutes.
26-year-old Yeo's last BWF title came at the Super 100 Hyderabad Open in August 2019, and her most recent title was the Polish Open last year, an International Challenge event one grade below the BWF World Tour structure.
The tournament top seed came into the clash with the superior head-to-head record (3-1) and world ranked 29 Nguyen, having last beaten her in this year's Indian Open.
A day after a strong victory over Denmark’s defending champion Mia Blichfeldt, Yeo raced to a 11-7 lead at the interval. But the Vietnamese sixth seed clawed her way back, cutting the deficit to as little as two points, before Yeo took the first game.
Nguyen would take her first lead at 2-1 in the second game after a successful challenge. But a combination of excellent net play and a series of unforced errors from the Vietnamese gave the Singaporean a five-point edge at the interval.
Although Nguyen once again mounted a comeback to come within two points of levelling things up, Yeo held her nerve to win the first Super 300 title of her career.
"This victory means a lot to me to win this title. Coach Kim Ji Hyun and I set this goal in the beginning of the year and I’m so happy to finally have this breakthrough," said Yeo.
"Coach Kim has been helping me to prepare tactically and mentally before every match. Along the way, she’s also making adjustments to help me improve. It may not be immediate because some changes need a process but we are working towards it."
Yeo's last BWF World Tour final was at the 2021 Hylo Open, where she lost to Thailand's Busanan Ongbamrungphan.
"I’ve gone through so many losses and setbacks that this victory becomes even sweeter," added Yeo.
"The ability to adapt to any player and any situation is key. I know I have to be consistent everyday in order to win a title. The struggle has been a long one but I kept believing that I can do it, and I’m grateful for coach Kim to guide me along the way."
