ALL ENGLAND: Chong Wei to battle Chen Long in final in Birmingham
WORLD No 1 Lee Chong Wei and China's Chen Long will battle for the prestigious All England men's singles crown in Birmingham today.Chong Wei reached his fifth final, but not before fending off an onslaught from South Korea's Son Wan Ho while it was a walk-in-the-park for Chen Long, who easily defeated compatriot Wang Zhengming in yesterday's semi-finals.
The top seed was not in full flow at the start but the two-time champion managed to bounce back midway in the second game to record a 14-21, 21-19, 21-15 win for his sixth career victory over the World No 11.
World No 2 Chen Long, who is second seeded, finally found his touches, following a series of erratic performances in the opening rounds, to notch a 21-17, 21-14 win over Wang Zhengming in 33 minutes.
"Wan Ho caught me by surprise as he played with so much passion and determination. I didn't expect him to play that well," said Chong Wei in Birmingham yesterday.
"I am happy with the way I played. It is not easy to overcome an inspired shuttler but I did so today. I am looking forward to facing Chen Long, and hopefully, do well tomorrow."
Regarded as Malaysia's greatest shuttler, Chong Wei started off confidently, taking a 5-0 lead in the first game but lost focus against the confident Wan Ho as the two-time Olympic silver medallist could not handle the Korean's attacking game and lost it in 16 minutes.
In the second game, Wan Ho settled in quickly before leading 13-11 and 16-14 but failed to maintain the momentum.
Chong Wei upped his game, earning points from a series of deceptive smashes and long rallies to subdue his opponent and force a third game.
It was close at the start of the third game with Chong Wei playing more patiently to earn points. The impatient Wan Ho tried to increase the tempo of the match and went for some risky play but his attempts failed to rattle Chong Wei.
Chong Wei led 12-8 and 18-15 before closing the match 21-15 in 71 minutes. It was heartbreaking for Wan Ho, who was aiming to become only the second Korean to reach the All England final since two-time Olympic semi-finallist Lee Hyun Il in 2006.
Chong Wei, however, will need all his guile and a great strategy today against Chen Long to avoid a repeat of last year's final, where the Malaysian ended up on the losing end.
Chen Long will start as favourite as the Chinese ace has won his last four encounters against Chong Wei, who last beat his nemesis in the semi-finals of the 2012 London Olympics.
RESULTS -- Semi-finals, Men's singles: Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Son Wan Ho (Kor) 14-21, 21-19, 21-15; Chen Long (Chn) bt Wang Zhengming (Chn) 21-17, 21-14.
Women's singles: Wang Shixian (Chn) bt Wang Yihan (Chn) 21-8, 21-15; Li Xuerui (Chn) bt Ratchanok Intanon (Tha) 21-18, 21-8; Doubles: Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (Chn) bt Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) 21-17, 21-12.
Mixed doubles: Ahmad Tontowi-Liliyana Natsir (Ina) bt Ko Sung Hyun- Kim Ha Na (Kor) 21-13, 21-11; Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) v Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn) 21-11, 9-4 (rtd).
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