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Marcus and Kevin win 2018 Hong Kong Open title
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World No. 1 pair Marcus Fernaldi Gideon (left) and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo of Indonesia celebrate after defeating Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda (not pictured) of Japan 21-13, 21-12 in Hong Kong Open badminton men's doubles final to retain the title on Sunday. (PBSI/PBSI)
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ndonesia’s Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo only needed 35 minutes to silent Japan’s Takeshi Kamura and Keigo Sonoda to defend their Hong Kong Open men’s doubles title on Sunday.
World number-one pair was too powerful for the Japanese shuttlers, who are ranked third in the world, crushing them 21-13, 21-12 in a quick execution.
It is the second Hong Kong Open title for the Indonesians, who were also unbeatable in last year’s edition.
The Indonesians were ruthless in pressing the Japanese, blocking every possible room for the opponents to grow their offense. Marcus and Kevin remained focused on maintaining their tempo, winning every point to leave the Japanese pair far behind.
“We were also quite surprised to know that we were able to tune in from the beginning of the match. It was actually unusual, because fighting against them is traditionally a lot harder,” said Marcus in a statement.
With the latest title, Marcus and Kevin have collected eight victories so far in this year’s Badminton World Federation (BWF) top-tier tournaments. The triumphs include the China Open last week and the Denmark Open last month. (nkn)
