Indonesian badminton ace Sony Dwi Kuncoro upset world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei 21-17, 21-11 to win the Japan Open yesterday, avenging his quarter-final defeat to the Malaysian at the Beijing Olympics.
“I feel happy to show that I am no less capable than Chong Wei,” Dwi Kuncoro said after winning. He lost no games on his way to winning his second Super Series title of the year.
“It hasn’t been easy since I lost in Beijing. I was really devastated but came back with three weeks of training, hoping to beat Chong Wei again,” said Dwi Kuncoro.
Lee, the top seed, said he had been exhausted after weeks of silver-medal celebration and training after losing to China’s world champion Lin Dan in Beijing.
“I was so tired that I was outpaced and outdone by Sony’s rhythm. I made one mistake after another,” said the 25-year-old. “I want to rest up and readjust myself before deciding when I will play next.”
In the women’s final, China’s up-and-coming Wang Yihan beat former world No.1 Zhou Mi of Hong Kong 21-19, 17-21, 21-15 to win her first major international title.
The men’s final saw Lee jump to a 16-12 lead after 10-all in the first game.
But Dwi Kuncoro caught Lee at the 17th point and went on to win the set as the Malaysian slumped with a number of unforced errors.
Dwi Kuncoro led the second game all the way from an opening 5-0 gap, outpacing Lee with a variety of shots including three solid jumping smashes. The match ended when Lee’s backhand shot at 20-11 landed outside the baseline.
Wang came from behind in each game to beat her opponent.
Zhou took a 9-5 lead in the opening game but Wang tied her at 12-all. She again came back from 14-18 to catch Zhou at 18-all. At game point, Zhou deflected Wang’s smash wide.
In the second game, Wang also rallied from 14-20 down, winning four straight points but losing the set when Zhou smashed in.
The final game saw Zhou jump to a 8-4 lead, but a persistent Wang tied her at 10-all. At 13-all, Wang applied the pressure and the match ended when Zhou’s drop shot went short.
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