BADMINTON / U.S. OPEN : England’s Houghton Wins Championship

England’s Collin Houghton won his first grand prix men’s singles title Saturday, defeating India’s Nikhil Kanetkar in the U.S. Open badminton championships at the Orange County Badminton Club in Orange.

Houghton, playing with an injured back suffered in the quarterfinals, stunned even himself with an easy 15-6, 15-0 victory over Kanetkar in front of about 1,500 fans.

“I’m very surprised at how well I played,” Houghton, 26, said. “I played so poorly in the semifinals. But once you reach the finals all the pressure is off.”

Top-seeded Houghton played an almost error-free match, as Kanetkar struggled, recording 27 unforced errors.

Ranked 31st in the world, Houghton jumped to an 11-2 lead in the first game, holding off a late rally by Kanetkar. In the second game, Kanetkar fought off four match points, but was unable to pick up any points, as Houghton went on to the crown.

In women’s singles, China’s Hongyan Pi won her first international title, defeating countrywoman Huimin Wu, 11-8, 11-3. Pi, 20, fell behind, 6-1, in the first game, but rallied with seven unanswered points. Pi controlled the match from that point, winning the title on a smash into the net by Wu.

In an all-Denmark mixed doubles final, Jonas Rasmussen and Jane Bramsen defeated Michael Lamp and Pernille Harder, 15-3, 15-10. In men’s doubles, Lamp and Rasmussen defeated Janes Anderson and Graham Hurrel of England, 15-10, 15-13, and in women’s doubles, China’s Nanyan Huang and Ying Lu defeated Robbyn Hermitage and Milane Cloutier of Canada, 15-4, 15-9.