Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia and Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand won the women’s and men’s singles titles at the BWF World Junior Championships on Sunday.
Tunjung, 18, saved a match point before clinching the title on her third 21-13, 13-21, 24-22 against China’s Han Yue. The match lasted 58 minutes.
“It was a very hard match,” Tunjung was quoted as saying by the Badminton World Federation’s website after the final. “I used all my power in this final. I was praying while I was playing for God to give me a way to win this match. It was very tough but the crowd motivated me and I really wanted this. It was my last chance.
She added, “I told myself, ‘Your chance is in front of you. Don’t waste it’. I never thought I could be the champion but I am proud, especially as Indonesia is the host country.”
Vitidsarn celebrated a historic first men’s singles world junior title for Thailand, beating Malaysian fourth seed Leong Jun Hao 17-21, 21-15, 21-9.
In a final that swung both ways, the top seed kept his cool under pressure to come back from a game down and take the match away from the Asian Junior champion.
“I am so happy to make history for Thailand,” Vitidsarn was quoted as saying. “I wanted to be the champion and I was confident I could do it though I had to change my tactics in the match and move [Leong] around more. This will give me more confidence for future tournaments.”