Veterans Ko/Shin Turn Back the Clock
The unlikeliest story of recent times played out as a once retired-pair reckoned to be over the hill outplayed the world No.1 duo to claim the YONEX French Open 2021.
· DEV SUKUMAR
Ko Sung Hyun and Shin Baekcheol, who hadn’t won a match in their last six tournaments, and whose last win of consequence was the Australian Open in June 2019, turned back the clock with a clever dismantling of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo.
It was a statement for an older generation over the best pair in contemporary men’s doubles. Ko, 34 years old, and Shin, 32, were among several top men’s doubles pairs to retire after Rio 2016; they returned in 2018 but with limited success. In the meantime, the Minions were establishing themselves as the best of the post-Rio generation.
But Ko and Shin showed today that their fundamentals were still intact; their defence could hold up against whatever the Minions could throw their way; they kept Sukamuljo from exerting his influence at the front, and they hit with precision and power when the opening came.