08/14/2013
Congratulation to Ratchanok Intanon, the youngest Women's Single World Champion!
From the BWF website:
Already a trailblazer, having won a hat-trick of World Junior titles, Intanon became the youngest World champion of either gender; the first Thai player to cop the coveted crown and the first woman in 14 years to wrestle the Women’s Singles championship from Chinese hands – the last being Denmark’s Camilla Martin in 1999 in Copenhagen.
“Tomorrow is Mother’s Day in Thailand and the Queen’s birthday so this is a gift for my mother and for the Queen,” said the beaming Intanon, hardly able to believe her achievement though admitting she was “relaxed” in the biggest match of her young career.
Down 12-19 in the first game, Intanon closed the gap to 17-19, and then saved three game points before remarkably clinching the opening honours – grabbing ten points to just one by Li. The Thai’s variety of stroke play, control at net and precise smashes helped offset Li’s superior speed and power.
The resilient Chinese forced a third game, but level-headed Intanon was able to keep a lead and at all times, thanks to some errors from the top seed at crucial junctures. As the shuttle landed wide to seal Intanon’s place in the annals of badminton – 22-20 18-21 21-14 – the 18-year-old sank to her knees in tears (middle photo; centre above) as fans stood to applaud her feat. Li congratulated the winner, noting Intanon "played really well" and put her under "a lot of pressure" when she was trying to execute her strategies.
