Kuala Lumpur: World No.1 men’s singles player Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia who bagged his record sixth Japan Open title on Sunday, has decided to withdraw from Korea Open to give his body extra rest before departing to Europe for the Denmark and France Open in October.
“A lot of players are getting a rest after the Rio Olympics, but due to the sponsorship obligation, I was asked to participate in the Yonex Japan Open,” said Lee.
“Now that the Japan Open is over, I’ll need some rest before the Denmark and France Open,” added Lee.
The Malaysian badminton superstar edged past Jan Jorgensen of Denmark 21-18, 15-21, 21-16 in a tense final before claiming the Japan Open title.
In the absence of Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia will be represented by Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin and Goh Soon Huat in the men’s singles category. Zainuddin will play Angus Ng Ka Long of Hong Kong in the first round while Goh will take on Hans-Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark in the opener.
In men’s doubles, Korea’s World No. 1 men’s doubles pair Lee Yong Dae/Yoo Yeon Seong who will bid farewell to their professional careers after the tournament, had a bye in the first round and will probably face Liu Xiaolong/Luo Kai of China in the second round.
Malaysia’s Olympic men’s doubles silver medalists Goh V Shem/Tan Wee Kiong who are hoping to return stronger after the Japan Open setbacks, are likely to face second seeds Chai Biao/Hong Wei of China in the quarter-finals.
Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying who were defeated by No. 1 seeds Ko Sung Hyun/Kim Ha Na in the semi-final of last week’s Japan Open, have been given a chance to avenge their Japan Open defeat where both pairs were drawn in the same half and could potentially face off in the Korea Open semi-finals.
