Denmark's Antonsen wins first Indonesia Open crown, An downs China's Wang
BADMINTON world number three Anders Antonsen clinched his first Indonesia Open title on Sunday after beating Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan, while South Korea's An Se-young won her second championship in Jakarta.
The 28-year-old Dane sank world number seven Chou at the Indonesian capital's Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event.
Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second.
The Danish shuttler said he was thrilled to win the Indonesia Open title but declared he was 'hungry for more' trophies.
'I'm winning a Super 1000, one of the absolute biggest tournaments of the year,' Antonsen told reporters.
'It's incredible. I'm so grateful for how this place has changed my life many, many times.'
In a more closely fought women's singles final, South Korean ace and world number one An fought back from one game down to beat China's Wang Zhi Yi in three games.
She beat her Chinese rival 13-21, 21-19, 21-15 in 81 minutes.
An, the 2024 Olympic gold medallist, said she was 'happy' to win another Indonesia Open title after securing her first in 2021.
'It was a weird game, a difficult game. But fortunately, I can find my own confidence and never gave up,' An told reporters through an interpreter.
French mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue triumphed against Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran.
The pair, ranked 10th in the world, beat the sixth-ranked Thai pair 21-16, 21-18 in a 48-minute match, securing France's first Super 1000 title.
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Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Denmark's Antonsen wins first Indonesia Open crown
Anders Antonsen is hungry for more trophies after winning the Indonesia Open. (EPA Images pic) JAKARTA : Badminton world No 3 Anders Antonsen clinched his first Indonesia Open title today after beating Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan, while South Korea's An Se-young won her second championship in Jakarta. The 28-year-old Dane sank world No 7 Chou at the Indonesian capital's Istora Senayan arena, winning 22-20, 21-14 in a 60-minute match to secure the prestigious Super 1000 event. Antonsen came out on top in a tightly contested first game before cruising to victory in the second. The Danish shuttler said he was thrilled to win the Indonesia Open title but declared he was 'hungry for more' trophies. 'I'm winning a Super 1000, one of the absolute biggest tournaments of the year,' Antonsen told reporters. 'It's incredible. I'm so grateful for how this place has changed my life many, many times.' In a more closely fought women's singles final, South Korean ace and world No 1 An fought back from one game down to beat China's Wang Zhi Yi in three games. She beat her Chinese rival 13-21, 21-19, 21-15 in 81 minutes. An, the 2024 Olympic gold medallist, said she was 'happy' to win another Indonesia Open title after securing her first in 2021. 'It was a weird game, a difficult game. But fortunately, I can find my own confidence and never gave up,' An told reporters through an interpreter. French mixed doubles pair Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue triumphed against Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran. The pair, ranked 10th in the world, beat the sixth-ranked Thai pair 21-16, 21-18 in a 48-minute match, securing France's first Super 1000 title.
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Chou to meet Antonsen in Indonesia Open final as top 2 seeds exit
Taiwan's Chou Tien-chen fought back in both games to secure a spot in the Indonesia Open final. (AP pic) JAKARTA : Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan beat world No 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-16, 23-21 in the Indonesia Open in Jakarta today to set up a final against Anders Antonsen, who defeated defending champion Shi Yuqi. Second seed Vitidsarn shot out of the blocks in both games and racked up 5-1 leads but the 35-year-old Chou showed great resilience, fighting back to secure a spot in his first final since last month's Taipei Open. China's Shi began his semi-final strongly, taking the first game 21-9, while third-seeded Antonsen was much more competitive in the second game and pounced on a string of errors from the top seed to wrest control of the match. Shi had the lead early in the tight third game but Antonsen rose to the challenge to win 9-21, 21-18, 21-19 – his first victory over the two-time Asian Games gold medallist since January 2024. In the women's draw, top seed An Se-young of South Korea faced third-seeded Akane Yamaguchi, the second time the pair had met in the semi-finals of a Super 1000 tournament this year. ADVERTISEMENT VIDCRUNCH Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Quality Auto Back 360p 240p 144p Auto Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x / Skip Ads by Much like their meeting at the All England Open in March, reigning Olympic champion An held off her Japanese opponent to win 21-18, 21-17 and secure a spot in the Indonesia Open final for a third time in her career. An will come up against Wang Zhiyi in tomorrow's final after the Chinese world No 2 beat compatriot Han Yue 21-12, 21-13 in 39 minutes.
![[Watch] Hearts Over Hardware: Pearly-Thinaah's Glorious Defeat In Indonesia Open 2025](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therakyatpost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2FUntitled1-1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Watch] Hearts Over Hardware: Pearly-Thinaah's Glorious Defeat In Indonesia Open 2025](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ftherakyatpost.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Rakyat Post
8 hours ago
- Rakyat Post
[Watch] Hearts Over Hardware: Pearly-Thinaah's Glorious Defeat In Indonesia Open 2025
Subscribe to our FREE Sometimes losing feels a lot like winning, and Malaysia's badminton darlings Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah just proved exactly that at the Indonesia Open 2025. The dynamic duo fell short of their maiden Super 1000 title dream, succumbing to world number one Chinese pair Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in a nail-biting three-set thriller that had everyone on the edge of their seats. Final score: 25-23, 12-21, 19-21. But here's the thing about great defeats—they sometimes shine brighter than hollow victories. After bulldozing through Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min in the semifinals, the Thailand Open champions walked into Sunday's final carrying the hopes of a nation that hadn't seen a women's doubles champion at this tournament since Chin Ee Hui and Wong Pei Tty claimed glory back in 2009. The match was pure theatre. Pearly-Thinaah stumbled early in the first set, trailing 6-11 before clawing back to level at 16-16. What followed was badminton at its most brutal and beautiful—two pairs trading blows until Malaysia's finest edged ahead 25-23. The Heartbreak Set: When Dreams Meet Reality The second set belonged to the Chinese world beaters, who surged to a commanding 14-8 lead and never looked back, closing out 21-12 to force a decider. The final set was where legends are made and hearts are broken. Pearly-Thinaah found their rhythm again, leading 10-7, but sport has a cruel sense of timing. The scores locked at 15-15, and from there it became a test of nerves as much as skill. In the end, experience trumped ambition by the narrowest of margins—21-19 to the Chinese pair. When the Nation Speaks 'Malaysia is proud of both of you,' perfectly captured the national sentiment, while others emphasised the quality of the opposition. It's okay, Pearly/Thinaah, what's important is that you fought, and you weren't facing ordinary opponents. The drama had fans literally on the edge of cardiac arrest, with comments about 'almost having a heart attack watching' flooding the feeds. Some couldn't help but notice how hard-fought the victory was for the Chinese pair: 'The Chinese pair really had to sweat to win today.' The cruel timing wasn't lost on supporters either: 'Already leading 9-4 in the third set… just wasn't meant to be.' But the optimism shone through: 'Excellent, if they play like this, there's hope for an Olympic medal.' Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah share a heartwarming moment with fans during a meet-and-greet session by Etihad Airways at the Axiata Arena during the recent Perodua Malaysia Masters 2025. The duo's approachable nature and connection with supporters continue to endear them to badminton enthusiasts across the nation. (Pix: Fernando Fong) The Bigger Picture Sure, they didn't get the trophy. But the In a sport where margins are measured in millimetres and milliseconds, they proved they belong at the very top table. The fans' reaction says it all—this wasn't a defeat that deflated a nation, but a performance that elevated it. When your 'loss' generates more pride than most victories, you know you've achieved something remarkable. Sometimes the real victory isn't the hardware you take home—it's the hearts you win along the way. READ MORE : Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
