Finals day at DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters 2025 turned out to be historic for Thailand as both singles titles were claimed by their shuttlers – a remarkable first for the nation on the HSBC BWF World Tour.

At the Istora on Sunday, Ratchanok Intanon first broke a 10-month title drought which goes back to the 2024 Spain Masters before younger compatriot Kunlavut Vitidsarn’s thrilling win over Jonatan Christie made him the first Thai men’s singles player to triumph at the tournament.

“Ten months? Oh, that’s fine, it’s not a year,” laughed Intanon when informed of the stat at the end of her 21-18 21-17 victory over Sim Yu Jin.

“This gives me so much motivation. It reminds me I can return to the top eight and reset my goals. My fitness is improving after a long injury and I feel positive. It’s encouraging to start the year with a title. I’ve only lost to An Se Young at my last two tournaments and with her not in Jakarta, I knew I had a chance.”

Asked about switching to a backhand serve at match point, Intanon said: “Honestly, I don’t know why I did it. I wanted to throw Sim off balance. I’d been serving long most of the match and perhaps she was overthinking her response. I needed to beat my own doubts first to seal the win.”

Later in the day, Vitidsarn, a fellow Banthongyord Badminton School graduate, defeated local hero Christie 18-21 21-17 21-18. Christie, aiming for a second title on home soil, was outmanoeuvred as Vitidsarn lured him into long rallies, forcing uncharacteristic errors.

Vitidsarn said: “Christie is a top player, so my focus was on enjoying the match and learning from him. This win feels special. After crashing out in the India Open first round last week, I didn’t imagine I’d be champion here. My form after the Olympics hasn’t been great, so this victory means a lot. I need to build on this momentum heading into the All England.”

Vitidsarn, known for his dart-throwing celebration inspired by England and Tottenham Hotspur footballer James Maddison, admitted he was too fatigued to follow through. “Honestly, I was exhausted. I thought about it but with Tottenham leading Liverpool 1-0 in the Carabao Cup semifinals, I didn’t feel the need (laughs).”

→ Results (Finals)

WHAT OTHERS SAID

“We are off to Korea this evening, so we will have a party on the plane. More like a long sleep as our flight is quite late.” – Kim Hye Jeong reveals her celebration plans after being crowned women’s doubles champion alongside Kong Hee Yong

“Pearly (Tan) has really been there for me. We expected to start the new year well, especially on home ground. But since we didn’t, we were actually quite worried during training. There were more bad than good days, but we kept talking, kept motivating one another, kept that fire burning in us. I’m proud she had my back. She’s celebrating Lunar New Year soon so I hope this will keep her happy during the holidays.” – Runner-up Thinaah Muralitharan

“We want to reach more finals at other World Tour events. We want to maximise our strength and become champions.” – Hiroki Midorikawa after he and Natsu Saito beat Guo Xin Wa/Chen Fang Hui 20-15 21-17 in mixed doubles final

“This is a breakthrough moment for us. We had four straight losses against them. I was proud to receive the trophy from Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and I hope I can meet him again someday.” – Man Wei Chong after he and Tee Kai Wun grabbed a maiden win over Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Rian Ardianto