On the finals day of BWF World Tour Super 300 Macau Open, contrasting results were witnessed in the men's and women's singles division. The top seed among women, Michelle Li of Canada won the final against China's Han Yue easily while her counterpart in the men's singles category, Shi Yu Qi of China stuttered, apparently due to an injury, to a loss against Thailand's fifth-seed Sitthikom Thammasin.
Michelle used those same weapons which had brought her an impressive victory in the semi-finals to create trouble for her Chinese opponent. The steep smash which earned her so many points yesterday was back in action. Her impressive net play was also proving a great advantage.
However, Han wasn't going to let her more fancied rival get away to an easy win. She countered Li's smashes with great retrieving and impressive smashes of her own. Though she wasn't able to inject that pace in the game which may have made things difficult for the Canadian, the Chinese lady made scoring points much tougher for the top-seeded shuttler.
The first game seemed to be headed for a close finish but towards the end, Li gained a crucial lead and eventually secured a 1-0 lead in the match.
In the second game, it was a no-contest. The defending champion was in full flow and was scoring points not only with her powerful smash but also by some brilliant follow-ups at the net. To her credit, Han continued to fight and showed some highly promising skills at the net herself. But it was too little. The match eventually ended with the scoreline of 21-18, 21-8.
In the men's final, Shi Yu Qi looked in full form and waltzed through the first game. The deadly smash of the Chinese player was in full display and he was looking totally in control of the rallies. In the second game though, the Thai player established a healthy lead early on, thanks to many errors by Shi.
To his credit, Thammasin had also improved his defence and was making the former All England champion work harder for his points. After the mid-game interval, the fifth-seed started to assert himself and his opponent started looking vulnerable. Shi didn't seem to have the retrieving prowess required and Sitthikom unleashed his own smash to good effect. The match soon headed into the deciding third game.
The signs were worrying for the Chinese competitor as he looked discomfited by some sort of injury and was unable to cover the court with alacrity. Too many errors were being committed by him. Soon, it was apparent that the problem for Shi was serious. At the mid-game interval, the score was 11-2 in the Thai player's favour.
After the break, the top seed tried to overcome his very evident discomfort and try to put up some fight but his body didn't allow it. Thammasin romped home to a comfortable victory with the scoreline 12-21, 21-14, 21-7.
