Lee, Li progress to Japan Open finals

Men’s, women’s badminton top seeds breeze past opponents.

TOKYO:

Malaysian badminton superstar Lee Chong Wei and China’s Olympic champion Li Xuerui roared to the men’s and women’s finals at the Japan Open Saturday, living up to their world number-one billings.

Lee tamed Japan’s Kenichi Tago 21-15, 21-17 in the men’s semi-finals, gearing up for a fifth Japan Open title.

Li, competing in her first Japan Open, struggled in the second game but outlasted Asian champion Sung Ji-Hyun of South Korea 21-15, 23-21 in the women’s last-four round.

Lee faces Hong Kong veteran Hu Yun in the men’s final on Sunday. Hu outlasted Denmark’s European champion Jan O Jorgensen 21-13, 19-21, 21-15.

Li’s final opponent is Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying, ranked seventh in the world, who put down Chinese player Liu Xin 15-21, 21-19, 21-9.



The 31-year-old Lee – who has already won three events in the top-flight World Superseries this year in Malaysia, England and India – led the first game from the outset against Tago, 24, whom he beat in the Japan Open final last year.

“I have not tuned up well since the Thomas Cup and my condition is not so good,” said Lee. “But I want to win every match. I wish to improve myself step by step and peak for the 2016 Rio Olympics.”

The women’s top seed, Li, blamed loss of concentration for her struggle in the second game against Sung, whom she has defeated in all their six previous encounters.

“I played as usual today but I relaxed myself somewhat toward the end of the second game to let my opponent battle back. It was a bit dangerous,” said the 23-year-old Li.

Li, who won the Superseries final last year, has taken the Malaysia Open but finished runner-up in three more Superseries events to Chinese teammates so far this year. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2014.

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