Kiran George beats Koo Takahashi to win Indonesia Masters
Young Indian shuttler Kiran George won the Indonesia Masters trophy on Sunday, September 10. He defeated Japan’s Koo Takahashi in the men’s singles final which lasted for 56 minutes. The 23-year-old George, who hails from Kochi, won the match 21-19, 22-20.
It happens to be the second BWF World Tour Super 100 title for George after he came up trumps in the Odisha Open last year.
In the semi-final, George took down Indonesia’s Tommy Sugiarto in a thrilling three-setter, after which he got the better of his Japanese opponent in the final.
He has been playing well for a while now: Vimal Kumar
Former Indian badminton star Vimal Kumar, who has been overlooking the development of Kiran George also spoke about the latter's performance. Vimal, who is the current director of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), said (via PTI):
“It is an excellent win, it is about converting these chances and consistently playing well. Other players are young and equally good, so I am quite pleased with him.
“Now it is about not to relax but continue his preparation as he is travelling to Hong Kong. He has nothing to lose, so he should look to create upsets."
George found himself in a bit of trouble, trailing 1-4 in the opening game. But the Indian shuttler somehow managed to draw level at 8-8. At the interval, he took a two-point lead, putting Takahashi under pressure.
With George taking an 18-15 lead, Takahashi tried his heart out, but his Indian opponent had the last laugh. In the second game, both players were neck-and-neck with the scoreline reading 6-6 at one stage.
However, Kiran George took the upper hand by taking a 16-11 lead. Takahashi was not going to give up easily as he narrowed down the gap. Yet again, George kept his composure under pressure.
“He has been playing well for a while now and I really feel Kiran, Mithun, they are the next line of players. They needed to make a breakthrough by beating good players and it is a good sign that they are doing well," Vimal Kumar added.