China’s Chen Yufei, Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn claim singles titles at KFF S’pore Badminton Open

SINGAPORE – After a disappointing Olympic campaign in August 2024 when she suffered a shock quarter-final exit, China’s Chen Yufei found herself re-evaluating her career.

Unsure about her future, she took a hiatus, during which she completed a 10-week English course in Melbourne, Australia.

However, the time away only solidified her passion for badminton and she returned to competition in February, contributing to China’s win at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships.

The 27-year-old has quickly regained her form and showed her class on the court, claiming four individual titles in a row.

Her latest came on June 1 at the US$1 million (S$1.29 million) KFF Singapore Open as she defeated compatriot Wang Zhiyi 21-11, 21-11 to capture her first crown here.

On how her game has benefited from last year’s break, the 2024 runner-up said: “It mainly helped me relax more and deal with pressure better. It was like starting over, especially with my ranking continuously dropping, everything signalled a fresh beginning.”

It was that mindset that helped Chen, who has risen from world No. 11 to No. 5 since her return and extended her unbeaten streak to 20 matches, a run dating back to the Swiss Open in March.

En route to the final in Singapore, she recorded victories over higher-ranked opponents, including a 21-13, 21-16 win over reigning Olympic champion and world No. 1 An Se-young in the quarter-finals.

In the final, Chen pulled ahead 11-7 at the interval. As Wang struggled with the draught, Chen was quick to retrieve her opponent’s shots, taking the first game 21-11.

She led throughout the second game and, at 16-11, she reeled off five points in a row to bag victory and the winner’s cheque of US$70,000.

“The draw for this tournament wasn’t particularly favourable for me. So, to be able to fight through one match at a time to the end was beyond what I expected,” said the reigning Asian champion, who also had to face India’s former world champion and two-time Olympic medallist P.V. Sindhu in the round of 16.

“That mindset of not putting too much pressure on myself helped. I felt more relaxed as compared to before, and that allowed me to bring out more of my own game on the court.”

The former world No. 1 remains as ambitious as she hopes to add the Asian Games and world title to her impressive resume.

The crowd of over 7,700 at the Indoor Stadium was also treated to a dominant display by Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the men’s singles final, as the reigning world champion claimed his fourth title of the season after beating China’s Lu Guangzu 21-6, 21-10.

World No. 15 Lu was no match for the Paris Olympics silver medallist, who was in imperious form and did not drop a single game throughout the tournament.

Against a hapless Lu, whose decision-making was shaky at times, Kunlavut surged to a commanding 13-2 lead and cruised to victory in the first game.

He remained in control in the second game, building a 14-4 advantage in no time. At 20-9, Lu saved a match point, but merely delayed Kunlavut’s coronation as the Thai claimed the crown in 37 minutes.

His run in Singapore will see him leapfrog China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi in the world rankings when they are updated on June 3, making him the first Thai men’s singles player to reach the top spot.

He said: “I feel really happy because I’ve been doing really well this year and there’s room for me to grow in the following tournament.

“There are a lot of fans here in Singapore who are rooting for me – not just fans in Singapore but all over the world. I would like to see the badminton industry grow bigger and bigger.”

He knows that being the top-ranked player will come with pressure, but is embracing it as he aims to retain his world title in August.

Kunlavut, 24, said: “It’s a good thing I’m world No. 1. Of course there’s always pressure and I already said in the beginning that I would like to try to win all the tournaments and that’s what I’m focused on at the moment.”

South Korean world No. 8 women’s doubles pair Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong won their first Singapore Open title after overcoming Japan’s world No. 6 Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi 21-16, 21-14.

In the mixed doubles, Thailand’s eighth-ranked Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Supissara Paewsampran overcame Hong Kong’s world No. 3 Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet 21-16, 21-9.

New winners were also crowned in the men’s doubles, with Malaysia’s world No. 3 pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik coming from behind to beat South Korea’s 10th-ranked duo Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae 15-21, 21-18, 21-19.