Kunlavut first Thai man to win Asian Games badminton singles gold

Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand secured his country's first Asian Games men's badminton singles gold medal on Tuesday by defeating Singapore's Loh Kean Yew 21-12, 21-16 in the final. This marked Kunlavut's first singles title since January's Malaysia Open, following several near misses this year. Prior to the match, Loh had become the first player from Singapore to reach an Asian Games final.

The Thai player won the first game in just 20 minutes and maintained control in the second set, as Loh struggled to keep up. Despite Loh's strong comeback, Kunlavut secured the victory and graciously bowed to the cheering crowd. China did not secure any medals in the men's singles category. Defending champion Li Shifeng and former world number one Shi Yuqi both exited early in Nagoya.

Meanwhile, South Korea's world number one An Se-young claimed the women's title by defeating Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9 in the final.