KUALA LUMPUR: Deepavali cheer came early for national singles badminton player S. Kisona after emerging triumphant at the Dutch Open in Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, yesterday.
Kisona, currently an independent shuttler, ended her three-year title drought by beating 75th-ranked Keisha Fatimah Azzhara from Azerbaijan 21-14, 21-16 in the women’s singles final, wrapping up the match in 41 minutes.
The world No. 101’s last title came at the 2021 Spanish International Challenge, where she beat compatriot Goh Jin Wei (21-14, 21-19).
Kisona’s win marks Malaysia’s first title at the Dutch Open since 2015 when Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong clinched the men’s doubles title in addition to being the first Malaysian woman singles player to win the tournament.
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According to the New Straits Times, the Dutch Open, one of Europe’s prominent tournaments since its inception in 1931, has since been downgraded to an International Challenge event.
Over the years, prominent Malaysian players, including the late Datuk Eddy Choong, Wong Choong Hann, Roslin Hashim, Lee Tsuen Seng, Hafiz Hashim and Sairul Amar Ayub, have won titles there in men’s singles.
Malaysian men’s doubles success has also been considerable, with wins by pairs like Tan Kim Her-Yap Kim Hock, Cheah Soon Kit-Soo Beng Kiang, Choong Tan Fook-Lee Wan Wah, and lastly Kien Keat-Boon Heong in 2015.
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The 26-year-old’s achievement has revived hopes of sustaining her independent career, which she embarked upon leaving the BA of Malaysia (BAM) in December 2022.
Kisona, who underwent knee surgery in 2014, recovered to win the Sea Games gold in Manila in 2019.
It is learnt that prolonged knee issues led her to leave BAM, as she seeked alternative treatments, while aiming to extend her career as an independent player.
