Reigning Olympic badminton champion Carolina Marin on Sunday claimed her second Thailand Open title in a fortnight against the same opponent – women’s singles top seed Tai Tzu-ying.
Thailand is hosting three consecutive badminton tournaments in a bio-secure coronavirus bubble, without spectators.
Former world champion Marin, 27, went into Sunday’s final without losing a single game across the two tournaments.
In a much tighter contest than the first final last week, the Spaniard claimed the first game 21-19.
The Taiwanese 26-year-old appeared to lose her confidence early in the second set, as a dangerous Marin asserted her dominance.
Tai saved four match points but her comeback was too little too late as Marin sealed her victory 21-17.
The first non-Asian women’s player to win an Olympic badminton gold, Marin has faced an uphill battle to recover from a January 2019 knee injury in time to defend her crown in Tokyo.
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