SHAH ALAM: Unlike other finalists, national champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei has yet to be fully tested as he cruised into the Malaysian Open final yesterday.
Chong Wei, who is hunting for his 11th Malaysia Open title, easily disposed off world number five Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark in straight sets, 21-17, 21-14 in the semi-finals at the Malawati Stadium here.
In the other semi-final match, defending champion Chen Long had to bring out his best to tame young Indonesian player Jonatan Christie in 8-21, 21-19 and 21-14 to set up another meeting with Chong Wei in the final.
In their 23 encounters, Chong Wei won 11 times while Cheng Long had one more victory.
“The match against Chen Long will be close. He has many advantages, such as height so I may have to adopt a more defensive play.
“We are almost even in our matches, but most importantly I have to be confident with myself as I am improving with every game. Tomorrow is the final and I am targeting to capture the title for the 11th time,” Chong Wei said.
He hoped local badminton fans would give their full support to help him seize the title back from Chen Long.
Chen Long lost unexpectedly in the first set 8-21 but took the second 21-19 despite trailing 16-19. He romped in 21-14 in the rubber set.
“I am very lucky to win today. At the crucial point, Jonatan should not have taken the risk to play tricky shots. If I was him, I would not play that way.
“For me, Jonatan is still young, and not stable yet which is same like me when I was at his age. He still can improve and become one of the best players in Indonesia in future,” he said.
He added that fans could expect a mouth-watering final today. — Bernama