Great Dane dashes Thai dreams

Hollywood could not have conjured up a more enduring script as Denmark’s Tine Baun bade goodbye to professional badminton on Sunday by crowning herself as the All England women’s singles champion for the third time with an exceptional victory over Thai teenage prodigy Ratchanok Inthanon.

The 34-year-old Baun, formerly Rasmussen, became the oldest All-England women’s singles winner of the open era when she beat the youngest finalist in a uniquely emotional final. The European champ’s 21-14 16-21 21-10 win over the 18-year-old brought to an end the career of one of the outstanding players of the past ten years, and the only woman to threaten Chinese dominance. 

The Dane only decided to compete this year as a “last adventure” but instead, as seventh seed, surprised herself by winning the All-England title back.

Her young Thai opponent, the youngest world junior champion at the age of 14, was not far from spoiling the script with her wonderful movement and wide range of strokes and looked a likely future champion.

Despite the loss, the talented Ratchanok, current world No 8 and seeded eighth, had already written a new chapter of Thai badminton history after emerging as the first Thai women’s player ever to reach the final of the All England since its tournament debut in 1900.

Baun could barely believe her hard-fought success when the final point was won inside the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham before hundreds of cheering fans, some jumping to their feet and waving Baun’s national flag in celebration.

The fact that the veteran withstood the challenge of arguably the most talented of her sport’s next-generation sensations made her last conquest before retirement all the more sweeter.

“It’s such a great feeling. I’m so proud. Mentally it was very tough but physically not as hard as yesterday [Saturday’s semi-finals]. I gained so much power and motivation from winning yesterday. I felt I was doing my best and playing my game today. It’s fantastic,” said an ecstatic Baun.

All week she defied the odds, making her way through the draw at the expense of younger rivals in her last hurrah on court. The question was could the Danish veteran do it once more and against the Thai whom she had a losing 1-3 record. After tight and tense early exchanges, Baun began to dictate, showcasing her powerful and skilful repertoire as Ratchanok was under fire in the first game. Though the Dane lost the second game, mainly due to errors at crucial stages, she re-established her dominance early in the third game and romped to an impressive victory, mixing winners from the deep with delicate net strokes that caught Ratchanok off-guard.

The tears in Baun’s eyes as the magnitude of her achievement sunk in said it all. Amid triumph, she spared a hug for the vanquished Ratchanok of whom she spoke glowingly.

“Ratchanok will definitely win this tournament, maybe many times. She is so talented. She has had some great results already and it is only the beginning of her career. She will be a big star,” predicted the woman who won All England titles in 2008 and 2010.

Ratchanok admitted wilting under the weight of expectation and pressure – not to mention the formidable occasion and the seasoned campaigner standing tall across the net.

“Tine played very good and her shots were winners. She is very experienced and I was nervous playing her. I am upset to lose but I love this tournament,” said the runner-up.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei was in search of his third All England championship too but fate and circumstances were not as kind to him. He faltered 21-17 21-18 under an unwavering onslaught from China’s Chen Long.

Clearly not at his best, Lee struggled from the outset to keep up with his rival in the men’s singles final. Looking tentative and unlike his normally aggressive self, he was quickly down 0-7 in the opening game. What hurt him most was that he was unable to get his tosses deep enough to prevent Chen from firing big smashes. The second game began similarly, with Lee trailing 1-6, but the Malaysian slowly worked his way back in, getting his length right and able to match Chen’s pace and power. The most engrossing period of the match unfolded and scores were level until 18, but an explosive shot from Chen gave him the advantage at 19-18 and he won the next two points to taste his maiden All England glory.

“The All England is very important. It is a world-class competition,” noted Chen Long. “This win gives me a lot of confidence. It’s great to be here and the crowd has been very supportive and passionate.”

In the women’s doubles, Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli took just 27 minutes to dismantle the challenge of compatriots Cheng Shu and Zhao Yunlei 21-18 21-10. Yu and Wang’s title was China’s 16th win in that category over the last 18 years at the All England Open.

Fresh young Chinese pair, Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan, flattened Japan’s fourth seeds Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa with an awesome display of big hitting in the men’s doubles final. The unseeded Qiu and Liu won their first Superseries 21-11 21-9 in 39 minutes. The mixed doubles partners, Indonesia’s second seeds Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir, defended their All England crown and secured their first Superseries title in almost a year with a 21-13 21-17 triumph over Olympic champions and China’s fifth seeds Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei. Their record against the Chinese fifth seeds improved to 3-4 overall.