Ajay Jayaram's fairy-tale run in the Korea Open came to an end after top seed Chinese Chen Long showcased his class against the Indian shuttler in the final to clinch the title in straight sets on Sunday. The score read 21-14, 21-13.
Long hit top gear right from the start as he played an aggressive game, which was full of powerful smashes from the baseline and the Indian, despite his strong defence, looked second best against the Chinese, who easily defended his Korea Open title.
Long has been one of the best players in the circuit for some time now and these type of performances have helped him win major titles around the world in the past few years.
Though the Indian shuttler was outplayed throughout the match, Jayaram did show his class against the world champion with some powerful net play and decent smashes. There were some instances when Chen Long had to scamper during rallies. However, Long finished such rallies with his strong smashes.
Despite the loss, Jayaram can head back home with his head held high after his dream run in the Korea Open. No one had expected the Indian shuttler to reach the finals of the competition.
Jayaram's performance in the Korea Open has helped him being noticed in the badminton circuit as a dangerous player, especially after his first round victory over Viktor Axelsen. Jayaram had also defeated Chou Tien Chen in the semi-final.
