PUBLISHED : 15 Jun 2026 at 04:17
Pornpawee Chochuwong missed out on a chance to end her title drought after losing to Akane Yamaguchi in the women’s singles final of the US$500,000 BWF Australian Open in Sydney on Sunday.
The Thai second seed last won a tournament at the 2025 Princess Sirivannavari Thailand Masters and the wait continues as the 28-year-old fell to the top seed from Japan 20-22, 18-21 in 46 minutes.
The loss ended Thailand’s quest for a maiden Australian Open women’s singles champion. The nation’s last finalist in the discipline was Nitchaon Jindapol in 2013.
For Yamaguchi, the Sydney victory capped off her remarkable month-long surge which saw the Japanese book her fourth consecutive final.
The three-time world champion lifted the Thailand Open title four weeks ago before finishing runner-up to world No.1 An Se-Young at the Singapore and Indonesia Opens.
Alwi Farhan was crowned the men’s singles champion as the Indonesian third seed ended Dong Tianyao’s dream run with a 21-13, 21-13 victory.
China’s 22-year-old Dong never made the main draw at this level before this week and only made it after earning promotion from the qualifying list.
Mixed doubles top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping defeated fellow Chinese second seeds Guo Xinwa and Chen Fanghui 21-17, 21-19 to claim the top honours.
The women’s doubles crown also went to a Chinese pair after top seeds Jia Yifan and Zhang Shuxian defeated seventh seeds Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma and Meilysa Trias Puspitasari of Indonesia 24-22, 21-13.
Fourth seeds Chen Boyang and Liu Yi took the third title for the Chinese contingent as they tamed third seeds Sabar Karyaman Gutama and Moh Reza Pahlevi Isfahani of Indonesia 21-15, 21-19 in the men’s doubles decider.