NEW DELHI: Jonatan Christie not only defeated Loh Kean Yew, he outsmarted him. In a match decided as much by grit as skill, the Indonesian mixed patience with precision and icy temperament to derail the in-form former world champion and storm into the men’s singles final of the India Open Super 750 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Saturday. While Christie produced a masterclass in tactical control, world number one An Se-young produced another ruthless display of dominance to set up a blockbuster women’s singles final against China’s Wang Zhi Yi.
Third seed Christie cruised through a thrilling semi-final against Singapore’s Loh 21-18, 22-20 in 46 minutes, demonstrating why he remains one of the sport’s most intelligent match managers under pressure. Loh arrived brimming with confidence and exploded out of the blocks. The Singaporean raced over the net to race to an 11-5 lead in the opening match. Christie was besieged, forced deep and rushed to the defense. But the Indonesian refused to panic. Instead, he subtly changed the script. Christie slowed the pace, pulled Loh into longer conversations and used his defensive wall to undermine the Singaporean’s attacking rhythm. Point by point, mistake by mistake, Loh’s early control slipped away. Christie scored six straight points to level at 15-15, suddenly changing the match. With the game back on his terms, he switched gears again, hitting clean net shots and then bursting out with crisp strikes down the line. The Indonesian closed the opening match with 21-18. The second game followed a similar pattern of psychological tug-of-war. Loh lost focus for a moment and shot a few shots wide, allowing Christie to take the lead. But the Singaporean regrouped, rediscovered his range and surged to a 17-13 lead, once again threatening to force a decider. Once again Christie responded with tactical finesse. He stepped onto the court, took the shuttle early and injected a sudden pace into the rallies. The effect was immediate. Loh was pushed onto the back foot, rushed to half lifts and was given no time at the net. Christie brought it in, leveled the score and held on in a thrilling finish to seal the match 22-20. It was Christie’s ninth straight victory over Loh. “In the second game, when Loh started to come back, I controlled my nerves and adapted better,” said Christie, summing up a performance that was based on both composure and class. While Christie waged a tactical battle, Korean world number 1 An Se-young was in no mood for prolonged drama as she defeated former champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand 21-11, 21-7 in a semi-final that underlined her grip on women’s singles. In the other semi-final, China’s Wang Zhi Yi had to work harder and survive an exciting match against compatriot Chen Yu Fei (21-15, 23-21) to book her place in the final.
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