Finnish youngster Oldorff clinches title and hearts at Al Ain Masters

Dubai: Promising Finnish shuttler Joakim Oldorff’s calm and composed demeanour on the court didn’t just fetch him his first Super100 men’s singles title at the Al Ain Masters 2025 on Sunday but also won the hearts of many fans. With the same politeness, he obliged his young fans with photographs and autographs at the Al Ain Club.

However, he also describes himself as “competitive.” “I think my competitiveness and politeness describe me. I like to be respectful with everyone – I want to treat people the way I want them to treat me.”

“It has been an amazing week and amazing crowd! I’m proud at the moment; it’s my second tournament in Abu Dhabi, I’m honoured to see such a crowd cheering for me.”

At 22, Oldorff has produced impressive results, motivating and guiding his performances all by himself. On Sunday, he came from a game down to beat Malaysia’s independent shuttler Aidil Sholeh 14-21, 21-17, 21-7 in the men’s singles final.

“It’s not always easy to be without a coach, but I keep in touch with my coach (Anu Nieminen) every day about matches and strategies. But I also feel that you learn a lot when you are on your own on the court – you must be mentally aware of what’s happening because no one is telling you,” said Oldorff, whose first international title was the Welsh International in 2023.

“This event was special – I have been better at handling things than before without a coach, especially mentally. I just try to keep doing the right things and strictly focus on my game plan – that helps me rather than focusing on my emotions,” said the European Championships Junior and Senior bronze medallist on how he maintained his focus in the match.

While his next goal is to perform well at the Arctic Open at home, he also wants to become a better person in every way. “I want to be better not just in badminton but in every way. Playing the Olympics is the ultimate goal in badminton,” said the promising star, who also trains a few weeks each year at the Yonex Peter Gade Academy and plays in clubs in Denmark.

“I also want to do well at the European Championships next year, but I want to focus on one tournament at a time,” he added.

Teenager Valishetty impresses too

Eighteen-year-old Shriyanshi Valishetty produced an inspiring performance to beat compatriot Tasnim Mir 15-21, 22-20, 21-7 in a 49-minute women’s singles final. Both players started the match at a slow pace before engaging in some intriguing battles. While Valishetty stayed calm, Mir couldn’t capitalise on her advantage and committed several unforced errors.

“This win was very important for me. I just wanted to give my best. This year I had very bad losses, especially in finals. That’s why I have been talking to my psychologist Aashna (Sundesha) mam every day. Today, I was not nervous, but I tend to get too hyped up before matches and make mistakes. I tried to stay calm in the match today,” said Valishetty, who has been training at the Gopichand Academy since 2013 and aims to improve her rankings.

Stoeva sisters’ fifth title of the year

Seasoned stars and sisters Gabrielle and Stefani Stoeva lived up to their billing, winning their fifth title of the season in Al Ain. They put up a clinical performance to beat juniors Yan Fei Chen and Liang Ching Sun from Chinese Taipei 21-8, 21-13 for the women’s doubles gold.

“We were all focused on the match. We tried to follow the tactic of our coach and just fought as one. If you see the score, it looked easy, but it wasn’t – especially when you are playing Asians,” said Stefani.

“Playing in Al Ain was a different experience – playing in hot weather and in different conditions. Each tournament helps us grow and try different things in our game. Staying healthy is the most important thing for us this year.”

New partners excel

In mixed doubles and men’s doubles, new partners shone as they showcased exceptional skills to win their first BWF Super100 titles together.

Buoyed by strong crowd support, India’s Hariharan Amsakarunan and M.R. Arjun defeated Raymond Indra and Nikolaus Joaquin in straight sets 21-17, 21-18 for their first BWF Super100 title as a pair.

“This is a new partnership for me. This is just the third tournament for us, so winning a Super100 title in just our third appearance means a lot to me. Personally, I’ve had two years of injury, and then coming back to win feels amazing,” said Arjun, part of India’s gold medal-winning team at the 2022 Bangkok Thomas Cup and silver medallist at the Hangzhou 2022 Men’s Team event.

Earlier, Indonesia’s newly-paired Dejan Ferdinansyah and Bernadine Anindiya defeated Wardana Marwan Faza and Aisyah Salsabila Putri Pranata 21-12, 21-16 for their first title together just two months into their partnership.

Overall, it was a successful first edition of the Al Ain Masters 2025, with 300 players from 38 nations competing and returning home with lasting memories from the oasis city of Abu Dhabi. The event concluded with an award ceremony for winners, referees, and partners whose support was vital to the success of the inaugural edition.