JAKARTA (AFP) - Denmark's Jan O. Jorgensen won his first Indonesia Open badminton title on Sunday, defeating Japan's Kenichi Tago in a closely-fought battle that came down to composure and confidence.
In an emotional victory, he sank to the floor and cried after his 21-18, 21-18 win in the final of the men's singles in Jakarta before running over to his opponent to hug and exchange T-shirts.
"Amazing game once again I had today. I can't believe I won the Indonesia Open," he told reporters after the match.
"This is by far my biggest achievement in my career: my first Super Series tournament in Asia. I guess I just made history today."
Besides winning a trophy and cash prize of US$56,250 (S$70,250), Jorgensen said the title also meant he was "one of the greatest from Denmark", adding: "That's a really big thing for me."
The 44-minute match featured lengthy rallies and play at the net which saw both players fiercely fighting for each point.
However, Tago appeared to have lost his composure in the second set, returning Jorgensen's powerful smashes either too long or into the net, on which the latter capitalised to seal his victory.
Both players were seen as underdogs in the tournament. They unexpectedly advanced into the men's singles final after Tago knocked out top shuttler Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-16, 15-21, 21-16 and Jorgensen trounced Chen Long from China 21-19, 21-18 on Saturday.
In the women's singles, world No. 1 Li Xuerui of China disposed of Thailand's Ratchanok Intanon 21-13, 21-13 in 37 minutes to bag the crown.
She dominated from start to finish with her formidable, well-placed string of smashes, forcing the Thai to make hasty and weak returns as she caved in under pressure.
"I'm proud of my achievement. I did not concern too much about the final points or result, I just focused on my game," Li said after the match.
Ratchanok conceded she did not play well after her long match against China's Wang Shixian in Saturday's semi-final, which she won 19-21, 21-16, 21-13.
"I ran out of energy today. I also did not expect that much to win," she said.
