Marin’s Sensational Comeback is Complete – China Open: Finals
Carolina Marin achieved one of the greatest comebacks in badminton – and perhaps all sport – defending her China Open crown nearly eight months after suffering a career-threatening injury.
· Dev Sukumar
The Olympic champion, who suffered an ACL injury in the final of the Indonesia Masters in January, pulled off a stunning turnaround this week in Changzhou, defeating world No.4 Tai Tzu Ying 14-21 21-17 21-18.
Considering she hadn’t beaten Tai in their six previous matches – her last win being in December 2015 – Marin, who was unseeded at the VICTOR China Open 2019, appears to have returned from her injury layoff even better than her previous self.
As with her last two matches, Marin took time to get going. Tai was her aggressive best and controlled the exchanges, with her range of loopy drops opening up spaces that she expertly exploited.