Lee Chong Wei
KUALA LUMPUR: National badminton champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei clinched a hard-fought win against his traditional foe Lin Dan of China at the Asian Badminton Championships in Wuhan, China yesterday.
In the semi-final clash, Chong Wei was trailing 7-14 at one stage and inched his way to force a deuce at 20-20 before he wrapped up the first set with 22-20.
Lin Dan, however, came back invigorated to lead Chong Wei 11-7 before easily closing the second set with 21-15.
In the decider, Chong Wei was clearly in control, piling up a 6-0 lead against Lin Dan and raced to 12-0 before Lin Dan collected his first point.
Chong Wei, now ranked world number two, confirmed his victory over the world number three with a resounding score of 21-4 in the rubber set.
The feat saw Chong Wei beating Lin Dan 11 times, with the two-time Olympic gold medallist winning 25 times.
In the final today, Chong Wei will meet another Chinese star Chen Long, the world number one, who easily disposed of compatriot Tian Houwei in straight sets 21-14, 21-16.
In the women’s competition world number three and reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui dispatched South Korean seventh seed Sung Ji Hyun 22-20, 21-11 in 40 minutes.
Indian star Saina Nehwal crashed out against Chinese opponent Yihan Wang. The 26-year-old went down 16-21, 14-21 in 41 minutes.
Sunday’s final pits Yihan against Xuerui. Both have won nine games against each other and will each be vying to earn their third Asian title.
The championship is worth US$500,000 in prize money, according to the organiser’s website. — Bernama/AFP