Wuhan: Saturday’s Asia Badminton Championships men’s singles semi-finals was definitely one of the best Lee Chong Wei has ever played against his old foe Lin Dan.
The World No. 2 Lee Chong Wei overcame a 4-10, and 17-20 deficit on Saturday at Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium, to survive a tense first-set battle by coming -from-behind in the first set to score a 22-20 victory.
Lin Dan then broke right back in the second set, leading most of the game to by claiming the second set 21-15 and taking match to the decider.
In the rubber set, Lee Chong Wei was in sizzling form and was playing with his all-around game by showcasing his full arsenal of shots against an inconsistent and error-prone Lin Dan. Lee eventually powered his way to a resounding win with 21-4 to register his 11th career win over the two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan.
“Losing the first set after a huge lead definitely affected my performance,” said Lin Dan after the match.
“I made a lot of mistakes and was getting tired and slower in the third-set,” added Lin.
“Lin Dan was struggling to keep up with my pace in the third round. He must be tired as he had been playing in many tournaments recently,” said Lee Chong Wei.
In the men’s singles final tomorrow, Lee Chong Wei will set up a final showdown with World No. 1 Chen Long of China, who beat his compatriot Tian Houwei 21-14, 21-16 in 50 minutes.
