 "Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai")
Thailand's Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai clinched the India Open 2024 Mixed Doubles title by defeating World No 5 Chinese duo of Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin in straight sets 21-16, 21-16 in the finals held at IG Stadium, New Delhi on Sunday, 21 January.
This was the third Super 750 title for the Thai pair, ranked world number seven in the BWF rankings. Winner of the Super 500 Malaysian Masters in 2023, the Thai duo wasted no time getting the better of the better-ranked Chinese duo.
Easy First Game
In the first set, the Thai duo got ahead at 5-1 and then they never really looked back, reaching the mid-game interval at 11-10. They increased the tempo of the match from there on and claimed the first set 21-16.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Taerattanachai said, “Today it was a very important game and they were a good pair against. We were able to control the game better.” The 31-year-old further said that the fact that they had beaten their Chinese opponents before helped them cruise through.
Comeback in Second Game
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In the second game though, the tide was going against the Thai duo as they trailed 7-11 at the mid-game interval. However, they rallied back by playing some attacking shots and won the game 21-16 again. Despite their Chinese opponents winning seven consecutive points in this game, Puavaranukroh and Taerattanachai managed to come back to claim their first-ever India Open title.
Talking about the comeback in the second game, Taerattanachai said, “In every match, we try and learn everything and the good and bad of the opponent. In this game, we tried to attack them a lot and pounced on their mistakes.”
Not playing the Indonesia Masters
Indonesia Masters is the next event on the BWF Calendar, starting 23 January. However, the winners of the India Open mixed doubles crown won’t be present at that event as they will be preparing to take part in the Thailand Masters, which will start one week later on 30 January. The Thai duo are looking to pick and choose events in the Olympics year.
“We are not playing in the Indonesia Masters, but we will be playing in the Thailand Masters. From now until the Olympics, we have time to stay focused and improve physical and mental aspects,” they said.
