KUALA LUMPUR: It was a double the joy for Malaysia at the 14th Indonesia International Open in Jakarta today.
Ahmad Muaz Fishol ended his 25-month title drought in an ‘Open’ tournament by winning the men’s event while Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman claimed her first triumph in seven years in the women’s category.
It was Malaysia’s second double win of the season after Rafiq Ismail and Sin Li Jane captured the men’s and women’s titles, respectively, at the Malaysian International Open in May.
Sixth-seeded Muaz defeated top seed DJ Archer of the United States 258-216, 298-203 for his first win since the PBAP Bevida-Storm International Masters Classic in Manila in Sept, 2014.
Earlier, Muaz defeated Singapore’s Marcus Kiew and American Tommy Jones, 237-203-161, in the first match of the stepladder finals.
In the second match, Muaz edged Thailand’s Kim Bolleby and Macau’s Lee Tak Man, 257-238-153, to make it into the finals.
“It feels good to nail my first ‘Open’ title in over two years. I was the last qualifier for the stepladder finals and had to play additional matches to earn a crack at the title. I kept my focus throughout the crucial moments for the win,” said Muaz.
In the women’s final, top seed Siti Safiyah Amirah overcame teammate and fifth seed Shalin Zulkifli.
Shalin forced a decider after she took the first game 253-198. However, Siti turned the tables with a 253-182 victory in the deciding game to clinch the title.
Siti’s last win was the 2009 World Ranking Masters but for an ‘Open’ tournament, it is her first success since the 2006 Pesta Penang International.
“It has taken me so long to finally win a title. After the World Ranking Masters triumph, I ran out of luck with several second and third positions in ‘Open’ tournaments.
“I realised that the problem was my ball release. I was inconsistent in terms of repeating good shots.
“I spent a lot of time practicing my throws prior to this event and it paid dividends. I just focused on making good and consistent shots and it worked here,” said Siti.
Sin Li Jane finished third, while Esther Cheah took fifth position.