Kuching: The world number 60, veteran comeback kid Lee Hyun-Il who was the hero in South Korea upsetting China for last month’s Asian Games team title, overcame Malaysia’s Tan Chun Seang 17-21,21-16,21-11 to win the Maybank Kuching International Badminton Challenge men’s singles crown on Sunday.
“It’s great to win here, I am hoping to retire completely from the game in few years. I am currently ranked 60th in the world, that makes it hard for me to compete in larger tournaments. Hopefully I can start climbing up the ranking to be able to play in larger tournaments next year.” Lee told reporters after the match.
The exhausted Tan Chun Seang who played his sixth consecutive rubber games of the tournament said Lee simply been too good for him.
“I was quick and aggressive in the first set, but was getting slower in the second and third set. On the other hand, Lee was keeping a steady pace to eventually win the championships,” said Tan Chun Seang.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian pair of Chow Pak Chuu and Mak Hee Chun suffered a heartbreak and crushing disappointment as they lost to the Chinese Taipei pair Yu Lin Chia and Wu Hsiao-Lin in the men’s doubles final 12-21, 21-10, 20-22.
In women’s singles, second seed Singaporean Chen Jiayuan defeated Indonesian Mariska Gregoria with a comprehensive 21-8, 21-19 victory; Japanese women’s doubles pair Ayane Kurihara and Naru Shinoya beat Maretha Giovani and Rosyita Putri Sari from Indonesia 21-14, 21-17; while Hafiz Faisal and Shella Devi Aulia captured the mixed doubles title after dispatching Singapore’s Terry Hee Yong Kai and Tan Wei Han 19-21, 21-19, 21-18 in 56 minutes.
