Ubed Wins the 2026 Thailand Masters Title, After Defeating Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul

JAKARTA - Indonesian men's singles badminton player Zaki "Ubed" Ubaidillah humiliated the host representative, Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul, with a score of 21-19, 20-22, 21-19 in the final match to win the 2026 Thailand Masters, Sunday.

This moment, as reported by Antara, was the first time Ubed beat Panitchaphon after always losing in the previous two meetings, namely at the Toyota International Challenge 2024 and Kumamoto Masters Japan 2025.

"It's very exciting, it's a mixed feeling and I can't deny being a champion," said Ubed, quoted in an official statement from PBSI.

Ubed started the first game not too well, but he rose in the final phase after being 10-11 behind at the interval. Panitchaphon picked up four consecutive points to bring him closer to victory in a score of 19-16.

However, Ubed was reluctant to give up. Playing in front of the opponent's supporters, the 18-year-old shuttler rose by picking up five consecutive points to seal the victory 21-19.

In the second set, Panitchaphon started the match ferociously. He led 5-0, which was followed by 11-7 at the interval. However, Ubed did not let Panitchaphon win easily.

He got four points in a row to turn the tide to 18-17. Unfortunately, at the end of the game, the badminton player from Sampang, Madura, was careless. Panitchaphon also turned the tide, 20-22.

The tight match took place in the decisive game. Like the first two games, the competition for the second men's singles was fierce after the interval.

Ubed continued to lag behind until the score was 17-18. He tied the score at 18-18 and then appeared more solid. Not wanting to repeat his mistake in the second game, Ubed won the important points in the final phase of the third game. He also finished the game 21-19, closing the lag of one hour and 18 minutes with victory.

"For the opponent's supporters, it was quite crowded today, but it actually made me more motivated. Because the home team will definitely not want to lose either," said Ubed about the atmosphere of playing in front of the opponent's supporters.

It was Ubed's first title in 2026 after previously only reaching the last 16 of the Indonesia Masters, where he was stopped by Singaporean representative, Loh Kean Yew, 19-21, 10-21.

On his way to becoming the Thailand Masters champion, Ubed defeated five men's singles from different countries, one of whom won the match against his compatriot who previously became the 2026 Indonesia Masters champion, Alwi Farhan, in the semifinals with a score of 21-18, 21-14.

"This victory I dedicate to my parents, family, PBSI, PBDjarum and everyone. I hope to get better, and the next one can get the Super 500 title," said Ubed, who is the 44th world men's singles.

Ubed's victory made Indonesia grab four titles from the 2026 Thailand Masters after previously winning in the women's doubles (Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi/Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti), men's doubles (Leo Rolly Carnando/Bagas Maulana), and mixed doubles (Adnan Maulana/Indah Cahya Sari Jamil).