Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Kai connects the smash return against Malaysia’s Justin Hoh during the men’s singles finals of the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 at the Ada gym on Sunday.
Malaysia’s Justin Hoh reaches out for the lob return against Chinese Taipei’s Cheng Kai during the men’s singles finals of the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 at the Ada gym on Sunday.
CHINESE TAIPEI (Taiwan) shared the spotlight with Japan in the finale of the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2024 after Cheng Kai outlasted Malaysia’s Justin Hoh, 21-12, 22-20, to win the men’s singles title at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Sunday.
Cheng Kai, 19, was the underdog against the no. 5 seed, Hoh, but the Taiwanese dominated the early exchanges as his placements, paired with powerful returns, pummeled Hoh’s defensive game.
Hoh gradually built momentum throughout the intense back-and-forth action but Cheng Kai prolonged the pressure to secure the first set, 21-12.
In the second set, Hoh adjusted his game and finally started to perform as expected to hold a comfortable 15-7 lead.
However, Cheng Kai forcefully closed the distance with sheer hustle as he unleashed more smash returns and clever placements to tie the score 20-20.
With errors just as crucial as scoring points, Hoh decided to let the birdie drop in hopes of Cheng Kai’s return going out of bounds. However, the line judges determined that the birdie dropped inside and gave the point to Cheng Kai, who then seized the upper hand, 21-20.
Hoh tried to stay in the game but after a series of exchanges, he committed an unforced error at the net which handed Cheng Kai the last point needed to secure the second set, the match, and the men’s singles title, 22-20.
In an interview, Cheng Kai said, “I feel very happy. It was so hard because my opponent was very good.” He said his returns, which were stronger and faster, gave him the edge over Hoh.
Japan victorious again
Japan, for its part, bagged two more titles as Takumi Nomura and Yuichi Shimogami emerged victorious in the men’s doubles event while Sayaka Hobara and Shimogami ruled the mixed doubles event.
The men’s doubles finals match was a nail-biter between two duos from Japan. Nomura and Shimogami had to go the distance against Mahiro Kaneko and Shunya Ota en route to victory, 22-20, 21-18.
Shimogami then paired with Hobara to win the mixed doubles title against Tori Aizawa and Hina Osawa in another Japan vs Japan match, 21-19, 21-12.
