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Determined and fit Wan-ho sends Chong Wei packing

PETALING JAYA: World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei failed to clinch his third title of the year after a shock 18-21, 21-14, 19-21 loss to a determined Shon Wan-ho of South Korea in the India Open men’s singles final in New Delhi.

The 29-year-old Penangite, who looked to be on fire since coming back from a shoulder injury suffered last month, finally met his match in Wan-ho.
With a place in the London Olympics at stake, the 24-year-old Wan-ho was in a determined mood and took the first game 21-18.

However, Chong Wei proved that he is made of sterner stuff and came back strongly to win the second 21-14.
In the rubber game, Wan-ho twice led at 14-8 and 18-13 but Chong Wei proved his resilience to level it 18-18 before finally running out of steam as the young Korean won the 66-minute battle 21-18, 14-21, 21-19.
With his first Super Series title in the bag, the world No. 17 should make a significant jump in the world rankings and earn a much coveted ticket to London in the last qualifiers before the Olympics.

This win not only proves that South Korea need not rely too much on veteran Lee Hyun-il but it has also boosted their confidence of winning the Thomas Cup in Wuhan, China, next month.

National singles coach Tey Seu Bock attributed Chong Wei’s defeat to “too many unforced errors”, saying it had nothing to do with a lack of competitive matches.

“The defeat has nothing to do with the earlier injury or that he didn’t play enough matches,” said Seu Bock in a telephone interview.

“He just made too many mistakes and was unable to play his own game. But credit to Wan-ho.
“He was all fired up and played very well. He also had a game plan in mind and executed it to perfection.
“This loss may have came at a bad time since it’s the Olympic year but there is still time and I believe that Chong Wei can regain his confidence in no time.”

There was double joy for the Koreans when sixth seeds Jung Kyung-eun-Kim Ha-na overcame China’s young pair of Bao Yixin-Zhong Qianxin 21-17, 21-18 in the women’s doubles final.

In the mixed doubles final, the impressive Tontowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia bagged their third title of the year after overcoming Thai duo of Sudket Prapakamol-Saralee Thoungthongkam 21-16, 12-21, 21-14.



THE STAR

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