World No. 1 unbeaten for eight years in local circuit
Top News 4:04 PM
IPOH: The fans, young and old, made their way to the Stadium
Indera Mulia here yesterday to watch Lee Chong Wei in action in the
men’s singles final of the Perak Open yesterday.
And the 28-year-old world No. 1 wowed them yet again, turning on his style to beat Mohd Hafiz Hashim 21-15, 21-13 in just 28 minutes.
The win marked an unbeaten eight-year run by Chong Wei on the local circuit since he nailed the first title at the 2002 National Grand Prix Finals, which was played in 2003 at the Selangor BA Hall in Kuala Lumpur.
He is now eyeing for a ninth consecutive National GP Finals in the tournament to be held in Kuala Terengganu from Feb 16-19.
The top two: Lee Chong Wei and Hafiz Hashim posing with their mock cheques at the Perak Open yesterday.
Chong Wei added that he was obligated to generate greater interest in the sport by making his presence felt in the states.
“It is not easy for me to take part in local tournaments because I have a hectic international schedule. But I do not want to neglect my obligation to raise the game at the local level,” he said.
“I was surprised with the big turnout here from the first day of competition. I hope that I have in some way greatly inspired a young fan among them. I have qualified for the GP Finals and hopefully, I will be able to do the same in Kuala Terengganu.
“My target at the local level is to win the National GP Finals for 10 times. I will be going for nine in Terengganu.”
While most of the national shuttlers had been given a one-week break, Chong Wei, who has won eight international Open titles this season and was also the gold medallist in the team and individual events of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, has decided to take only one day.
“I will be back in training on Tuesday (tomorrow). I have three major tournaments in January and I want to be well-prepared in all of them,” he said.
Chong Wei will compete in the Super Series Masters Finals in Taiwan from Jan 5-9 as the top seed. He will also defend the Open titles in Malaysia and South Korea.
In the Perak Open women’s singles final, Lydia Cheah staved off late comebacks from Tee Jing Yi in both games of a 21-18, 21-18 victory in 32 minutes.
Boosted by the win, Lydia will set out to restore her status in the world rankings, which had plunged from top-20 to 110th spot.
“I need to improve on my world ranking if I harbour hopes to compete in Super Series tournaments. I hope to get my game going again,” said Lydia, who is the country’s second ranked player behind world No. 24 Wong Mew Choo.
The women’s doubles final between Lim Yin Loo-Vivian Hoo and Sabrina Chong-Goh Liu Ying turned out to be the match of the day. It kept the fans on the edge of their seats with Yin Loo-Vivian emerging as the champions with a 21-23, 23-21, 21-19 win in 71 minutes.
And the 28-year-old world No. 1 wowed them yet again, turning on his style to beat Mohd Hafiz Hashim 21-15, 21-13 in just 28 minutes.
The win marked an unbeaten eight-year run by Chong Wei on the local circuit since he nailed the first title at the 2002 National Grand Prix Finals, which was played in 2003 at the Selangor BA Hall in Kuala Lumpur.
He is now eyeing for a ninth consecutive National GP Finals in the tournament to be held in Kuala Terengganu from Feb 16-19.
The top two: Lee Chong Wei and Hafiz Hashim posing with their mock cheques at the Perak Open yesterday. “It is not easy for me to take part in local tournaments because I have a hectic international schedule. But I do not want to neglect my obligation to raise the game at the local level,” he said.
“I was surprised with the big turnout here from the first day of competition. I hope that I have in some way greatly inspired a young fan among them. I have qualified for the GP Finals and hopefully, I will be able to do the same in Kuala Terengganu.
“My target at the local level is to win the National GP Finals for 10 times. I will be going for nine in Terengganu.”
While most of the national shuttlers had been given a one-week break, Chong Wei, who has won eight international Open titles this season and was also the gold medallist in the team and individual events of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, has decided to take only one day.
“I will be back in training on Tuesday (tomorrow). I have three major tournaments in January and I want to be well-prepared in all of them,” he said.
Chong Wei will compete in the Super Series Masters Finals in Taiwan from Jan 5-9 as the top seed. He will also defend the Open titles in Malaysia and South Korea.
In the Perak Open women’s singles final, Lydia Cheah staved off late comebacks from Tee Jing Yi in both games of a 21-18, 21-18 victory in 32 minutes.
Boosted by the win, Lydia will set out to restore her status in the world rankings, which had plunged from top-20 to 110th spot.
“I need to improve on my world ranking if I harbour hopes to compete in Super Series tournaments. I hope to get my game going again,” said Lydia, who is the country’s second ranked player behind world No. 24 Wong Mew Choo.
The women’s doubles final between Lim Yin Loo-Vivian Hoo and Sabrina Chong-Goh Liu Ying turned out to be the match of the day. It kept the fans on the edge of their seats with Yin Loo-Vivian emerging as the champions with a 21-23, 23-21, 21-19 win in 71 minutes.
Posted by Lucas Liau
on 4:04 PM.
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