Chen Yufei of China celebrates the victory in the Women's Single final match against Nozomi Okuhara of Japan on day six of the Fuzhou China Open at Haixia Olympic Sports Center, November 10, 2019, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China. /VCG Photo
Chinese shuttlers repeated last year's performance at BWF Fuzhou China Open as they claimed women's singles and mixed doubles titles here on Sunday.
Defending champion Chen Yufei overcame Nozomi Okuhara of Japan 9-21, 21-12, 21-18, while mixed pair Wang Yi Lyu and Huang Dongping won over compatriots and world No.1 Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong.
The 21-year-old Chen, who withdrew from Denmark Open due to an ankle injury last month, called a medical timeout in the third game when Okuhara led 2-1.
"I didn't twist my ankle again. it was just because of a scratch on my foot," she said afterwards.
The incident, however, didn't slow Chen's momentum as she took an 11-5 lead into third game's changeover.
Although Okuhara came back to cut the deficit 13-11, Chen pulled away for a 21-18 victory through her constantly changing smashes.
Last year in the final, Chen won over Okuhara 21-10, 21-16 for her first ever super 750 title.
"I came here with an ambition to win the title this year, and tried my best on the court to make it come true," Chen said.
Despite the agonizing loss in the final, Okuhara secured the World No. 1 spot in next week.
(L-R) Zheng Siwei, Huang Yaqiong, Huang Dongping and Wang Yilyu of China pose with their trophies after the Mixed Double final match on day six of the Fuzhou China Open at Haixia Olympic Sports Center, November 10, 2019, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China. /VCG Photo
The all-Chinese mixed doubles final, which is also a repeat of last year's in which Zheng/Huang lifted the trophy, saw the top seeds struggle throughout the match as Wang and Huang took straight sets in 31 minutes.
"We made many turnovers and didn't execute our tactics well. We lost the match too fast," said Zheng. "Our opponents had better returns from backcourt."
The World No.1 who had dominated most of the events this year, winning six titles including the World Championships, China Open and All England Open, lost rhythm in their last three World Tour tournaments and couldn't stand atop the podium in France, Denmark and the Fuzhou China Open.
Wang/Huang owed their victory to quick heating up in the opening minutes. "We had a better first set than last year," noted Huang Dongping.
Men's singles final was played between the top two seeds, as world No.1 Kento Momota of Japan overtook Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, 21-15, 17-21, 21-18.
Japanese shuttlers Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota routed Lee So Hee/Shin Seung Chan of South Korea, 21-17, 21-15, in the women's doubles final, while Indonesian pair Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo beat Takeshi Kamura/Keigo Sonoda of Japan 21-17, 21-9 in the men's doubles title clash.