Singapore win women's doubles title at Singapore Open tournament

SINGAPORE : Singapore women's doubles pair Shinta Mulia Sari and Yao Lei on Sunday clinched the Republic's first-ever Singapore Open title in 20 years. 

The two beat South Korea's Lee Hyo Jung and Kim Min Jung 21-17, 22-20 in the final of the US$200,000 Li Ning Singapore Open 2010 Super Series. 

The pair, who won the India Open Grand Prix Gold title last weekend, got the 6,500-strong crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on their feet, as they fought back from a 16-20 deficit in the second game, saving four match points to clinch the game and match for Team Singapore. 

Singapore's best performance in the tournament was in 2002, when Ronald Susilo bowed out 2-1 to Chen Hong of China in the men's singles final. 

Next up for the women's pair is next week's Indonesia Open Super Series, with the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi and Guangzhou Asian Games scheduled for October and November respectively. 

Earlier, Indonesia's Sony Dwi Kuncoro beat Thailand's Boonsak Ponsana on Sunday to lift his first Singapore Open title. 

Sony, the three-time Asian champion (2002, 2003, 2005), beat Ponsana 21-16, 21-16 in the final. 

The Indonesian upset world number one Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the quarterfinals and then beat India's Kashyap Parupalli 21-19, 21-19 in the semifinal to book his ticket to the final. 

Ponsana, the 2007 champion, came back from a set down to beat Peter Gade of 

Denmark 20-22, 21-17, 21-16 in the other semifinal to advance. 

India's Saina Nehwal, the top seed here and fresh from winning the Indian Open, beat Taipei's 16-year-old Tai Tzu Ying 21-18, 21-15 to clinch the women's title. 

The men's doubles title went to Taipei players Fang Chieh Min and Lee Sheng Mu who beat American pair Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan 21-14, 21-15. 

Denmark's Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl beat Indonesia's Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir 21-12, 21-15 to clinch the mixed doubles title. - CNA/ir/ms