Thailand Masters: Ng Ka-Long, Akane Yamaguchi Emerge Champions

Hong Kong’s Ng Ka-long edged past Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto 16-21, 21-13, 21-12 in the men’s final.

Akane Yamaguchi beat An Se-young 21-16, 22-20 to clinch the women’s title at the Thailand Masters.

(Photo: Twitter/@AYamaguchiFans)

Hong Kong shuttler Ng Ka-long snatched the men's Thailand Masters title on Sunday after a shaky start against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto, whose compatriot Akane Yamaguchi beat Korea's An Se-young in a hard-fought women's final.

World No 9 Ng clinched victory after Nishimoto took the first game in a 16-21, 21-13, 21-12 duel.

But missteps in the second and third game by the 25-year-old Japanese player allowed Ng to move forward in a decisive victory — coming back swiftly after a five-point low.

His win in the $150,000 tournament is his first in a long time — Ng’s last victory was at the Malaysia Masters in 2017 and the Hong Kong Open the year before.

Another rivalry came to a head in the women's finals when Japan's Akane Yamaguchi conquered her teenage opponent An Se-young in two games.

The 17-year-old Korean, voted Most Promising Player of 2019, had previously beaten world No 3 Yamaguchi in November at the Korea Masters.

But this time the top seed continued her impressive and fierce performance from the day before — when she battled Spain's Carolina Marin on Saturday for the spot in the finals.

Yamaguchi went point-for-point in the second game, the 22-year-old Japanese pulling through with a 21-16, 22-20 victory after an intense volley that had both players diving for the shuttlecock.

In the women’s doubles, Chinese pair Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan beat Korea’s Baek Ha-na and Jung Kyung-eun in a 17-21, 21-17, 21-15 match.

Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi claimed victory in the men's doubles after defeating China's Huang Kai Xiang and Liu Cheng 18-21, 21-17, 21-17.

The Thailand Masters is the second competition this month to not feature men's world No 1 Kento Momota after the Japanese superstar was injured in a car crash that killed his driver and left him with minor injuries in Kuala Lumpur.