JAKARTA (Indonesia): Indian shuttler Kiran George claimed the men’s singles crown at the Indonesia Masters 2023 on Sunday.
Playing at the GOR PBSI Pancing court, George defeated world No 82 Koo Takahashi of Japan 21-19, 22-20 in a hard-fought clash that lasted for 56 minutes to claim his second BWF World Tour Super 100 badminton title.
George won the Odisha Open last year, beating compatriot Priyanshu Rawat in the final.
In the Indonesia Masters final, George and Takahashi matched each other’s assertiveness in the first game. However, after the scores were tied at 15-all, George prevailed in six of the next 10 points to take a 1-0 lead.
The second game began similarly. After the scores were tied at 6 all, the 23-year-old Indian shuttler stepped up his game to grab a five-point lead at 16-11.
Takahashi made a strong comeback in the closing stages of the game to force a tie-breaker. George clinched back-to-back points after scores were level at 20-all to win his first BWF World Tour Super 100 title of the 2023 badminton season.
In the semifinal on Saturday, George defeated 2014 World Championships bronze medallist Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia in three games.
George was the only Indian who reached the final at the Indonesia Masters 2023. The Indian women’s doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa suffered defeat in the semifinal as they lost to Indonesia’s Lanny Tria Mayasari and Ribka Sugiarto 20-22, 21-16, 21-13. (ANI)