Daily Times

SEOUL: Rising Chinese star Qiao Bin won the final round of the men’s singles at the Badminton World Federation Korea Open Sunday after crushing South Korean veteran Son Wan-Ho. The 23-year-old unseeded player, currently world number 41 in men’s singles, defeated the sixth seed, world number eight Son 21-11, 21-23, 21-7. “I’m so thrilled. I have no words to express my feelings,” Qiao said. “I have learned my game by watching many of my seniors. First of all, I should mention Lin Dan and Chen Long as my models,” he said, referring to two top Chinese players. Sunday’s game also saw South Korean superstar Lee Yong-Dae retire from international matches after winning the men’s doubles with Yoo Yeon-Seong. The duo staged an upset against China’s Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen – champions at last week’s Yonex Open Japan – 16-21, 22-20, 21-18 in a nail-biting 85-minute thriller. “It was a difficult match…but I am glad that I was able to finish my international career with such a good game,” Lee said after the match. Lee, with 43 titles under his belt, is the second most successful Superseries badminton player after Malaysian legend Lee Chong Wei. The 28-year-old multiple Olympic medallist, including gold in mixed doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has been a poster boy of South Korean badminton and been widely popular in Asia. In the women’s tournament, Japanese seventh seed Akane Yamaguchi defeated South Korea’s Sung Ji-Hyun 20-22, 21-15, 21-18.