After a competitive match against Kenta Nishimoto of Japan, whose compatriot Akane Yamaguchi won the women’s title, Jonatan Christie became the first Indonesian to win the Hong Kong Open men’s singles title in 25 years.
After losing the first game 12-21, Christie was challenged all the way by Nishimoto, the 15th-ranked player in the world. The match lasted 90 minutes, making it the longest in the event, but he was able to force a decider when he won the second game 22-20.
The fifth seed then won the last game 21-18 to end the tournament. Given that Christie claimed he was so dissatisfied with his condition when he arrived that he wasn’t sure he would be able to play, it is all the more amazing that he became the first Indonesian to win the men’s singles title since Budi Santoso in 1998.
The unexpected loss of world number one Victor Axelsen of Denmark in the first round has shaken up the men’s draw. Yamaguchi defeated Zhang Yiman of China 21-18, 21-15 in the women’s final to claim her fifth championship of the year.