Chong Wei lands Hong Kong Open title to cap best ever season
Top News 10:31 AM
PETALING JAYA: World No. Lee Chong Wei retained the Hong Kong
Open title yesterday with a sweet win over Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia
to wrap up a career season’s best.
Top seed Chong Wei survived a tough opening and then got into the groove to blow away Taufik, winning the final 21-19, 21-9.
The victory certainly gave double joy to Chong Wei.
Friendship
intact: Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei (right) and Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat
posing on the podium after the Hong Kong Open men’s singles final
Sunday. Chong Wei won 21-19, 21-9. — AFP
It made up for
a painful defeat by Taufik in the quarter-finals of the world
championships in Paris, which ended his hopes to become the first
Malaysian winner in the series.
Chong Wei also went one better on his achievement last season. He has won a total of 10 competitions – eight international Open tournaments and also the team and individual events at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Besides claiming the last leg of the Super Series tournament in Hong Kong, Chong Wei also won at the five stops on the circuit – in South Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Indonesia and Japan. He also bagged GP Gold titles in Malaysia and Macau.
In 2009, Chong Wei won a total of seven Open titles.
Chong Wei was thrilled over winning half of the pie in a 12-leg Super Series this year.
“It feels good to beat Taufik after losing to him at the Worlds. I struggled in the first game and made some careless mistakes,” said Chong Wei in a telephone interview.
“I was trailing 17-19 in the first game but I knew that I had it in me to turn things around. I was happy to pull it off.
“It has been a long and tiring year for me but it was all worthwhile.
“ I am happy to win the most number of titles in one season.”
His best result this year was emerging as the champion in the 100th edition of the All-England.
“I started the year with the hope of doing well in four Majors – All-England, Thomas Cup Finals, world championships and Asian Games,” he said.
“I won my first All-England title and reached the Asian Games final.
“There is more work to be done to fulfil my dream of winning the other Majors.” Chong Wei will enter the Super Series Masters Finals from Jan 5-9 as the top seed and he is determined to win it for a third consecutive time.
But first, he has an obligation to fulfil on the domestic front.
Chong Wei will compete in the Perak Open beginning on Thursday in Ipoh and he is determined to keep intact a nine-year unbeaten record in national tournaments.
Meanwhile, there was disappointment for two reigning Asian Games champions – Wang Shixian of China and Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the Hong Kong Open yesterday.
Shixian was beaten by India’s Saina Nehwal while Markis-Hendra lost to Koreans Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong in the women’s singles and men’s doubles finals respectively.
Top seed Chong Wei survived a tough opening and then got into the groove to blow away Taufik, winning the final 21-19, 21-9.
The victory certainly gave double joy to Chong Wei.
Friendship
intact: Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei (right) and Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat
posing on the podium after the Hong Kong Open men’s singles final
Sunday. Chong Wei won 21-19, 21-9. — AFP Chong Wei also went one better on his achievement last season. He has won a total of 10 competitions – eight international Open tournaments and also the team and individual events at the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Besides claiming the last leg of the Super Series tournament in Hong Kong, Chong Wei also won at the five stops on the circuit – in South Korea, Malaysia, Switzerland, Indonesia and Japan. He also bagged GP Gold titles in Malaysia and Macau.
In 2009, Chong Wei won a total of seven Open titles.
Chong Wei was thrilled over winning half of the pie in a 12-leg Super Series this year.
“It feels good to beat Taufik after losing to him at the Worlds. I struggled in the first game and made some careless mistakes,” said Chong Wei in a telephone interview.
“I was trailing 17-19 in the first game but I knew that I had it in me to turn things around. I was happy to pull it off.
“It has been a long and tiring year for me but it was all worthwhile.
“ I am happy to win the most number of titles in one season.”
His best result this year was emerging as the champion in the 100th edition of the All-England.
“I started the year with the hope of doing well in four Majors – All-England, Thomas Cup Finals, world championships and Asian Games,” he said.
“I won my first All-England title and reached the Asian Games final.
“There is more work to be done to fulfil my dream of winning the other Majors.” Chong Wei will enter the Super Series Masters Finals from Jan 5-9 as the top seed and he is determined to win it for a third consecutive time.
But first, he has an obligation to fulfil on the domestic front.
Chong Wei will compete in the Perak Open beginning on Thursday in Ipoh and he is determined to keep intact a nine-year unbeaten record in national tournaments.
Meanwhile, there was disappointment for two reigning Asian Games champions – Wang Shixian of China and Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in the Hong Kong Open yesterday.
Shixian was beaten by India’s Saina Nehwal while Markis-Hendra lost to Koreans Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong in the women’s singles and men’s doubles finals respectively.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 10:31 AM.
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