KUALA LUMPUR: India's shuttler HS Prannoy defeated China's Weng Hongyang in a close battle to win the men's singles final in the Malaysia Masters on Sunday, earning himself a major career success.
Prannoy beat Weng 21-19, 13-21, 21-18 in their first ever face off.
In the thrilling 94-minute marathon match, Prannoy, 30, exhibited calmness and grit over the 23-year-old Weng to win crucial points and end his six-year hunt for a title.
Prannoy's physical endurance, capped by his instinct to unleash powerful crosscourt smashes was pivotal to his victory.
"It is a great achievement for me, the draws were tough," he said afterwards.
Meanwhile, Japan's top seed and world number one Akane Yamaguchi clinched the women's singles title, overcoming Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-17, 21-7 to seal her third title of the year.
Yamaguchi has been a tournament standout as she demolished each of her opponents with relative ease without dropping a game.
"Malaysia seems to be a lucky place for me. It was fun to play in this venue, with so many fans cheering me on. It's important for me to play well with confidence every time," she said.
The Japanese shuttler was a class above the Indonesian in the final, especially in the second game with her crisp all-round display.
Malaysia has become Yamaguchi's happy hunting ground after she also won the Malaysia Open in January, and followed that up by clinching the German Open.
Prannoy's triumph in the Malaysia Masters made him the first Indian men's singles shuttler to win this Super 500 event.
Prannoy gained a priceless lead on Sunday after he edged a tense opening game against Weng.
Weng, however, stormed back to win the second game. But a tough deciding match ensued, with Prannoy unleashing a powerful crosscourt smash that Weng could only push wide.
Thailand's top-ranked pair Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai won the mixed doubles, while South Koreans Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee claimed the women's doubles title. South Korea's Kang Min-hyuk and Seo Seung-jae won the men's doubles.
The Malaysia Masters is the first badminton event on the World Tour to offer Paris Olympics ranking points. -- AFP
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