Lee Chong Wei, the man who has dominated the Super Series circuit without winning the most major titles, went some way to improving his big occasion record by capturing the All-England Open.
Lee also became the first man to win three Super Series titles in a row, having captured the titles in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur in January.
Just before giving his press conference Lee received a phone call of congratulations from the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, and came into the room buzzing with the thrill.
"It was a big relief to win and a big dream especially as it's the 100th anniversary of the All-England," said Lee. "It's going to help me in a big way. I didn't think I played my very best but I did enough."
But his 20-year-old unseeded opponent, who had already accounted for three seeded opponents, once again impressed with his speed and attacking verve, and was not far from causing another upset.
Lee's capture of the title in the centenary tournament of the world's oldest badminton event, even though he looked a worthy favourite, may not convince everyone that he is now the best player in the world.
That is because Lin Dan of China won both the Olympic and World titles, skipped the first two Super Series of the year and mysteriously lost to his compatriot Bao Chunlai here.
But Lee did suggest that he is adding a better big match temperament to his blistering speed, great defence, and cleverly timed counter-attacks, and may have improved enough to challenge Lin Dan's ambition to retire as Olympic champion at London 2012.
Lee also recovered from an uncertain start, going 0-4, 5-10 and 11-15 down to an opponent who had nothing to lose and came out attacking whenever he could.
The Malaysian made a well-timed push with six points to reach 17-15, and when Tago got back to 19-20 Lee had a slice of good fortune when his attempted kill took a net cord which left his opponent for dead.
Lee played more relaxed after that, getting to 6-1 quickly.
Even when Tago caught him at 11-11 and kept in touch up till 17-18, Lee was playing the more aggressively.
This time at 20-19 he won the crucial point more worthily, choosing an accurate push down the middle, awkwardly close to Tago's body, to make the championship-grabbing winner.
Lee celebrated by burying his forehead on the court, then thanking coach Misbun Sidek before raising both fists to the crowd.
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia, right, celebrates winning his men's singles final match against Japan's Kenichi Tago at the All England Badminton Championships in the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, England, Sunday, March 14, 2010.
No comments:
Post a Comment