Datuk Lee Chong Wei
BIRMINGHAM: Datuk Lee Chong Wei moved to within one win of his third successive All-England Open title when he edged past an old rival, Lee Hyun-Il 21-19, 21-18 last night to reach the final.
No men’s singles player has achieved that since Rudy Hartono, the Indonesian great 38 years ago, but Chong Wei’s movement and ability to respond quickly to changing situations suggest he is well capable of it.
The Malaysian world number one established an early four-point lead over the former world number one from Korea, but was caught at 17-17 and again at 18-18.
Chong Wei was patient and accurate at the net and with clears at that stage, but he had to deal with an even greater comeback from Hyun-Il in the second game.
Often defending brilliantly, and finding unexpected angles with his left-handed slices, the Korean came back from 9-18 to 16-18 before Chong Wei managed to force some smashes through and close the match out.
“I was well prepared today, but I have to improve my attacking,” the champion said. “I woke up with some pain in my hand today – I don’t know why – but I managed to play through it all right.”
Earlier however the women’s singles defending champion lost her title. That happened when Wang Shixian, the third-seeded Chinese, was beaten 20-22, 21-18, 21-18 in the semi-final by her compatriot Wang Yihan, the top-seeded world champion.
It was a slow-paced encounter, lasting 85 minutes, and was completed in the same time as two matches on the adjacent court. — AFP