Olympic Games Paris 2024

All England Open 2024: Jonatan Christie wins all-Indonesian men's singles final after Carolina Marin takes women's title - Results

By Rory Jiwani
5 min|
Christie smiles as he holds the trophy

Picture by 2024 Getty Images

Jonatan Christie defeated his good friend and compatriot Anthony Ginting to win badminton's All England Open in Birmingham on Sunday (17 March).

After prevailing 21-15, 21-14, the unseeded 26-year-old fought back tears before sharing a warm handshake with his beaten opponent.

It was Christie's first World Tour Super 1000 triumph and came after a dismal start to the season in which he had failed to reach the quarter-finals in any tournament.

In his post-match interview, he admitted it was "difficult" to play his teammate and said, "It's like a dream come true. I cannot believe this can happen because, last week, I lost in the first round. I don't know what God wanted me to do, but I'm very happy and so proud to be an Indonesian men's singles (champion).

Indonesia was guaranteed its first men's singles champion since Hariyanto Arbi won his second of two titles in 1994.

After a tight start, Christie won eight of the next nine points to take an 11-4 lead into the mid-game interval with Ginting looking tense and making numerous errors.

After the break, Christie was left aggrieved when he was called for a fault having performed what looked like a superb block at the net. Moments later, play was interrupted as Ginting received treatment on a finger cut.

Ginting was much improved after the restart, closing to within three points before Christie won a superb rally to extend his lead again. And he went on to take the opener 21-15 in 29 minutes.

The second game followed a similar pattern with Christie winning four consecutive points to go 10-6 in front. But Ginting fought back to trail by just two at the break.

The quality declined somewhat after the interval as both players appeared to struggle with nerves. But it was Christie who stayed ahead to become the second unseeded men's singles All England champion after Li Shifeng last year.

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Carolina Marin was handed the All England Open women's singles title when Yamaguchi Akane retired

Picture by 2024 Getty Images

Marin takes women's singles crown after Yamaguchi injury

Carolina Marin wept tears of joy after she claimed her second All England title when Yamaguchi Akane was forced to quit in the second game due to injury.

Spain's Rio 2016 Olympic champion took the opening game 26-24 and was leading the second 11-1 when Yamaguchi called it a day.

The Japanese appeared to be struggling physically in the first game and did some stretching at 13-13 having come through a marathon semi-final against reigning champion and world number one An Se-young on Saturday.

But Marin failed to capitalise as Yamaguchi won four straight points to go 17-15 in front. She thought she had taken the opener 21-17 when Marin left a shot on the baseline, but the left-hander made a successful challenge with the shuttle landing out.

Despite being warned on at least two occasions for time-wasting, Marin went on to save two more game points in what turned into a tense and thrilling passage of play.

Marin had a knee graze attended to at 24-24, and then set up her third game point before converting it.

At the start of the second game, it was clear that Yamaguchi was unable to compete due to an apparent right hip issue. She received treatment at 1-10, but abandoned after Marin won the next point.

There was a delay between Yamaguchi's retirement and Marin, who was speaking to her coach in the mid-game interval, realising the match was over. But when she did, she sank to her knees and cried before giving her trademark shout of "Vamos!" and going over to hug her mother in the crowd.

After expressing her wish for Yamaguchi's speedy recovery, Marin said in her on-court interview, "It's been nine years but there are so many things in the past. Now I'm back.

"It means a lot. It was a really tough week. At the beginning of this week, I had a conversation with my coach because I had so many things to improve. I feel really really proud of myself because now I'm (playing) in the way that I want to do it. I just want to keep working."

Earlier, Republic of Korea's Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee got the better of Matsuyama Nami and Shida Chiharu of Japan to win their first All England women's doubles title having been beaten in last year's final.

Top seeds Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong ensured People's Republic of China would come away from Birmingham by retaining their mixed doubles title. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallists and three-time world champions needed just 37 minutes to defeat Japan's two-time champions Watanabe Yuta and Higashino Arisa.

And Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto capped a great day for Indonesia by retaining their men's doubles title, beating Malaysia's former world champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in straight games.

BWF All England Open 2024 finals results, 17 March 2024

Women's doubles: [6] Matsuyama Nami/Shida Chiharu (JPN) lost to [2] Baek Ha-na/Lee So-hee (KOR) 19-21, 21-11, 17-21

Women's singles: [4] Yamaguchi Akane (JPN) lost to [5] Carolina Marin (ESP) 24-26, 1-11 ret.

Men's singles: [5] Anthony Ginting (INA) lost to Jonatan Christie (INA) 15-21, 14-21

Mixed doubles: [1] Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong (CHN) def. [2] Watanabe Yuta/Higashino Arisa (JPN) 21-16, 21-11.

Men's doubles: [5] Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik (MAS) lost to [7] Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA) 16-21, 16-21.

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