Kunlavut makes history
Sixteen-year-old Kunlavut Vitidsarn became the first Thai in the history to win the BWF World Junior Championships boys’ singles title after he came back from behind to beat Jun Hao Leong of Malaysia 17-21 21-15 21-10 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on Sunday.
The Thai top seed, the latest product of the Banthongyord Badminton School, staged a revenge over the Malaysian rival who beat him twice in the July’s Asia Junior Championships and last year’s Pay Paid Junior Open.
After a sluggish start in the opening game, Kunlavut fought from behind in the second game to level for 12 all. He tightened his defence and attacked when opportunities open ajar as the Malaysian rival gave in to his nerves and made errors. After losing the first game point, Kunlavut finally leveled the tie as Leong sprayed a shot long.
In the decisive game, Kunlavut took a full command from every where on court, combing a variety of shots to dictate play. Loeng, on the contrary, was no where near his best, looking nervous and let a series of errors creep out of his racquet. The match ended after the Malaysian netted his backhand.
