Chong Wei triumphs

KUALA LUMPUR: World number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei gave the home fans plenty to cheer about with a runaway 21-14, 21-13 win in 39 minutes over South Korea’s Park Sung Hwan in the final to retain his men’s singles crown in the US$200,000 Proton Malaysia Open at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

It was Chong Wei’s second title in three weeks, having won the Yonex-Sunrise BWF Super Series Masters Finals in Kota Kinabalu on Dec 21 – which also broke the jinx of not having won a title as a world number one.

The win in Kota Kinabalu was worth US$40,000 while he added another US$15,000 to his coffer after his victory yesterday afternoon.

It was Chong Wei’s fifth Malaysian Open title in six years.

And the Putra Stadium seems to be a happy hunting ground for the Malaysian, having regained his Malaysian title at the same stadium after losing at the Kuala Lumpur BA Stadium in Cheras in 2007.

“I did not expect an easy win,” said Chong Wei.

“I had gone the full distance in my previous matches from the second round onwards. And I was prepared for a three-set match in the final.

“It was rather an easy final for me. I controlled my game throughout the match.

“Life changed for me after winning the silver medal in the (Beijing) Olympics. And not winning a title as the world number one did not make things any easier for me.”

However, Chong Wei broke the jinx in the Super Series Finals in Sabah and the Malaysian, in his own words felt “like a big burden has been lifted off my shoulders.”

“I am in a better frame of mind and better conditioned to play in tournaments now. I hope to continue my good form in the Korean Open,” said Chong Wei, who is rather concerned with the cold weather there.

Sung Hwan was gracious in defeat and said: “I lost the battle at the net. Chong Wei dominated play and I could not do anything.

“Lin Dan and Chong Wei are the two top players in the world now while the chasing pack like me is at a different level. There was no pressure on me in the final.

“If all goes to plan I expect to play Chong Wei in the quarter-finals in the Korean Open and let’s see what happens there.

“I hope that I won’t play as badly as I did here in Malaysia against Chong Wei,” said Sung Hwan, who will be skipping the All-England as he will be away for compulsory military training in February.