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SHINTA Mulia Sari and Yao Lei yesterday ended the Republic's
20-year wait for a local player to be crowned champion at the
Singapore Open.
The host nation's top women's badminton doubles pair, unseeded
at the US$200,000 (S$277,000) Li-Ning Singapore Open, upset fifth
seeds Kim Min Jung and Lee Hyo Jung of South Korea 21-17, 22-20 in
the final yesterday.
The closest any local player has come to triumphing in this
event was Ronald Susilo's runner-up finish in 2002.
The win is the first major women's doubles title for Singapore,
and the first time any Singaporean individual or pair has won a
Super Series title.
The Super Series is the second tier of tournaments on the
Badminton World Federation's (BWF) calendar, behind competitions
such as the Thomas/Uber Cups and the World Championships.
Kim and Lee are unranked in the world standings because they
were paired together only recently.
Source: ST
