PETALING JAYA: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei beat Denmark’s Hans-Kristian Vittinghus to extend his unbeaten streak to 14 matches at the Indonesian Open badminton championships in Jakarta.
On Friday, the 31-year-old, who has been unbeaten since losing to Indonesia’s Simon Santoso in the Singapore Open final in April, clinched yet another routine win by beating Vittinghus 21-18, 21-11 in the quarter-finals.
Chong Wei faced stiff resistance from Vittinghus in the first game and was trailing 13-18. But the Malaysian upped his tempo and reeled off eight straight points to win the game. It was a one-way traffic in the second game and he sealed victory in 40 minutes.
“There was absolutely no doubt about Chong Wei’s performance even when he was five points down in the first game. He was in confident mood,” said national singles coach Tey Seu Bock.
“Chong Wei has adapted very well to the shuttle speed which was much faster than the Japan Open last week.
“Despite playing his eighth match in 10 days, there is no problem with his fitness. He is looking good for the semi-finals,” added Seu Bock.
Chong Wei will face Kenichi Tago for a place in tomorrow’s final. Tago knocked out Hu Yun of Hong Kong 21-18, 21-11.
Meanwhile, scratch pair Tan Boon Heong-Tan Wee Kiong’s fairy-tale run came to an end after going down to world No. 4 Lee Yong-dae-Yoo Yeon-seong of South Korea.
The Malaysians put up a gutsy display before losing 15-21, 21-6, 21-19 in 65 minutes to the Koreans, who are the reigning Japan Open champions.
It was a wasted opportunity for Boon Heong-Wee Kiong as they had won the first game with complete ease.
The Koreans, however, bounced back to snatch the second game. Despite trailing 3-8 and 15-18 in the deciding rubber, Yong-dae-Yeon-seong held their nerves to pull through.
“It was the experience that made the difference today as this is our first tournament as a combination,” said a dejected Wee Kiong.
“We fell when it mattered most, especially during the crucial stages. A defeat is a defeat. We just have to move on and not dwell too much about it,” he added.
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