Qualifiers Steal the Show at US Open
Teenager Lin Chun-Yi stunned the field at the YONEX US Open 2019, clinching the men’s singles title yesterday in his first final of this level.
· DEV SUKUMAR
The 19-year-old started out the qualifying rounds before completing a series of upsets to win his first senior title. He beat Brazil’s Ygor Coelho in the opening round and Canada Open winner Li Shi Feng in the second.
Korean veteran Lee Dong Keun, the top seed, was next to fall; Lin then beat compatriot Lin Yu Hsien in three games in the semifinals. The title bout saw him face experienced Thai Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk, whom he steamrolled 21-10 21-13.
Lin’s previous appearances in a final were at the Finnish Open in April, when he was beaten by Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn, and at the Sydney International in 2017, which he won.