Indonesia's Tontowi Ahmad, left, and his partner Liliyana Natsir hold their trophies after winning the mixed doubles final against against Denmark's Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl at The All England Open Badminton Championships, Birmingham, England, on Sunday(AP/Jon Super)
Indonesian mixed doubles shuttlers Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir have become world champions after defeating defending title holders Thomas Labourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl of Denmark.
The Indonesian pair, seeded second in the US$350,000 tournament, defeated the Danes 21-17, 21-19 on Sunday to win their first ever All England title at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena, according to the tournament’s website www.allenglandbadminton.com.
Always ahead, the winners nevertheless had to fend off a spirited defense in the second match from the Danes, who confessed afterwards that they were taken by surprise by their opponent's tactics while performing below their best ,according to the website.
The last time Indonesian shuttlers won a title at the prestigious event was in 2003 when men’s doubles pair Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto triumphed.
Tontowi and Lilyana were also the first Indonesians to win a mixed doubles title after Christian Hadinata and Imelda Wiguna in 1979. (riz)
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