KUALA LUMPUR: National number oneLee Chong Wei fell on his back; punchedhis fists repeatedly in the air; and blewkisses to the badminton fans at the KualaLumpur Badminton (KLBA) Stadium yesterday.
The pumped up Chong Wei had givenan outstanding display to successfullydefend the Proton Malaysian Open men'ssingles title.
He took 88 minutes to beat worldnumber one Lin Dan of China 17-15, 9-15, 15-9 in a power-packed final. And hecertainly felt on top of the world.
“I am very, very happy,” said ChongWei, who bagged US$9,600 (RM36,480)for the win.
“Winning the Malaysian Open title forthe second time is certainly different. Inever thought that I would clear even thequarter-finals.
“But here I am today ... I defeatedTaufik (Hidayat) and Lin Dan for the firsttime in the same tournament.”
On Thursday, Chong Wei put up a brilliantshow to beat Athens Olympics goldmedallist and Singapore Open championTaufik 15-5, 15-0 in the third round.
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ON TOP OF THE WORLD: Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei reacts after scoring the winning point in the men’s singlesfinal match against China’s Lin Dan in the Malaysian Open badminton championships at the KLBA Stadiumyesterday. – STARpic by KAMARUL ARIFFIN |
With the win yesterday, Chong Weihas avenged his defeats by Lin Dan andTaufik.
He was beaten by the Chinese in theThomas Cup qualifying tournament andwent down to Taufik in the second roundof the Asian Badminton Championshipslast year at the same venue.
It was Chong Wei’s delicate play, tightnet shots and several great fightbacksthat won the hearts of the crowd. Heclawed back from 0-7 down in both thefirst and rubber games to win them.
The world number eight is nowlooking forward to the World Championships,which will be played in Anaheim, California, nextmonth with optimism.
“I never gave up when the chips were downagainst Lin Dan,” said Chong Wei.
“Everyone saw how he played. He is excellent inattack and his overhead smashes and forehand crosscourt shots are dangerous. So it is very satisfying tobeat him.
“This has given me a lot of confidence. I have onemonth to prepare for the world championships. Iwill be more than happy to bring back a medal forMalaysia.”
Lin Dan, who was playing in his first MalaysianOpen final, was certainly disappointed and dashedout of the stadium after receiving the US$4,800cheque.
Malaysia's singles coach Li Mao of China washappy with Chong Wei's performances in the tournament.
“It was a very high quality game but Chong Weiheld a slight advantage because he read Lin Dan'sgame well and it was his home turf and the crowdwas behind him all the way,” said Li Mao.“In his win over Taufik, he displayed good skilland yesterday against Lin Dan, I was happy with hisspeed. Overall, it is Chong Wei’s spirited game thathelped him win the title today.”
On Chong Wei's preparation for the world championships,Li Mao said: “He is now a world-classplayer. Yes, he will be one of the contenders togetherwith Taufik and Lin Dan at the world championships.”
There were also disappointments for China in themen's doubles and mixed doubles events.Indonesia's Candra Wijaya-Sigit Budiarto certainlyproved that they are on the right track to win theworld title for the second time. The 1997 worldchampions defeated Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng 15-11, 17-14.
In the mixed doubles, Koreans Lee Jae-jin-LeeHyo-jung downed Chen Qiqiu-Zhao Tingting 15-12,15-12.
The all-China finals in the women's singles andwomen's doubles were won by their Olympic champions– Zhang Ning and the pair of Yang Wei-ZhangJiewen.
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