Sourabh Verma beats Sun Fei Xiang to win Vietnam Open

Indian shuttler Sourabh Verma beat Sun Fei Xiang of China 21-12, 17-21, 21-14 in the final to win the Vietnam Open BWF Tour Super 100.

The reigning national champion had won the Dutch Open and Korea Open titles last year.

India’s Sourabh Verma registered a thrilling three-game win over China’s Sun Fei Xiang to claim the men’s singles title at the USD 75,000 Vietnam Open BWF Tour Super 100 badminton tournament here on Sunday.

Second seed Sourabh, who has won the Hyderabad Open and Slovenian International earlier this year, recovered from a mid-game slump to beat Sun 21-12, 17-21, 21-14 in the summit clash which lasted an hour and 12 minutes.

World no 38 Sourabh, who had won the National champion this year, will now play the USD 400,000 Korea Open World Tour Super 500 event to be held from September 24 to 29.

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Sun tried to recover but the gap was too wide to be bridged as Sourabh pocketed the first game comfortably.

The Chinese came out all guns blazing in the second game, zooming to a 8-0 lead. He led 11-5 at the interval and even though the Indian tried to make a comeback, it proved an uphill task as Sun roared back into the contest.

“I am very happy with the way, I played this week. I played three Japanese and these players have similar kind of style. Most like to attack and the little differences in their style is something you have to figure out on the court. So it was nice to beat them,” Sourabh said.

“The final was a tough match but I am happy I could play my game and come out victorious. This title will give a boost to my confidence.

“In the second game, I was troubled by the drift from one side and he jumped into a huge lead. But after the change of side in the decider, I went back to the strategy that worked for me and I am happy I could win,” he added.

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In the decider, Sun had a slender 4-2 lead initially but Sourabh ensured he enjoyed an 11-7 advantage at the breather. The Indian then maintained his lead, despite the Chinese snapping at his heels.

Leading 17-14, Sourabh blasted off the next four points to shut the door on his opponent and win his third title of the year. The 26-year-old from Madhya Pradesh had won the Dutch Open and Korea Open last year.