Ko & Shin – Returning to Conquer
Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baek Cheol’s title win at the Crown Group Australian Open 2019 on Sunday signals the return to form of one a potent pair in men’s doubles.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Not since March 2016 – when they captured the New Zealand Open beating several top pairs, including Marcus Fernaldi Gideon/Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Angga Pratama/Ricky Karanda Suwardi - have Ko and Shin won an event of this level.
The 2014 world champions, who were out of action for over a year after mid-2016, enjoyed an electrifying week in Sydney. They toppled the Asian champions, Hiroyuki Endo/Yuta Watanabe, in the opening round; Berry Angriawan/Hardianto Hardianto in the second, and All England champions Mohammad Ahsan/Hendra Setiawan in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals they faced world champion Li Junhui/Liu Yuchen, who only a few days previously had helped China win the Sudirman Cup. The Koreans held firm in the face of the Chinese’s big attacking game to come away victors in three games.