Chong Wei finally lands All-England crown in seventh attempt

WORLD No. 1 Lee Chong Wei stopped for a fleeting moment in disbelief after hitting the match point in the men’s singles final of the All-England at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham yesterday.

And when it finally dawned upon him, a jubilant Chong Wei punched his fists in sheer joy. He had finally taken down a stubborn Kenichi Tago of Japan 21-19, 21-19 in a 47-minute final to be crowned the 100th champion of the world’s oldest badminton tournament.

“I just could not believe that I have finally won it after dreaming about it for so long,” said Chong Wei, who succeeded to win the title in his seventh attempt. “This is so special because it is the 100th year and everyone will surely remember me for a long time.”

It was sheer delight for Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei as he fi nally passed his All-England test with full marks in the centenary edition in Birmingham yesterday. In his seventh attempt to claim the title since 2003, he beat Japan’s Kenichi Tago 21-19, 21-19 in the final.

With the win, the 28-year-old Chong Wei emerged as the first player ever to win four back-to-back Super Series titles. He won the Super Series Masters Finals last December in Johor Baru and followed up with victories in South Korea and Malaysia.

Even his nemesis, the great Lin Dan of China has not done that before.

It was also Chong Wei’s first major title after many disappointments and failures to live up to his top billing in the past.

Yesterday, he justified his status as the world No. 1 to become the country’s only fifth All-England champion after Wong Peng Soon, Eddy Choong, Tan Aik Huang and Mohd Hafiz Hashim, who was the last Malaysian winner in 2003.

After his victory over Tago, Chong Wei rushed to hug his coach and mentor, Misbun Sidek, and said he would never ever forget the glorious moment.

“Right now, I am so happy, relieved and thankful. I played well even though I had a heavy burden on my shoulders. It feels good to finally win a first major title after crashing out early in previous major events,” he said. “I am so indebted to my coach for being there for me. He certainly made this possible for me today.”

Although his opponent is young and still lacking in experience, Chong Wei gave credit to Tago for pushing him to the limit.

“I knew I had a chance with the exits of the Chinese players (Lin Dan and Bao Chunlai). But Tago is one of the most stubborn players whom I have ever met,” he said.

“He just refused to give in and each time I hit a winner, he just came back with another good shot. He was so good at the net.

That’s our boy: Lee Ah Chai (in green shirt), Chong Wei’s father, celebrates with his wife Khor Kim Chooi (seated) and relatives at their home in Berapit, Bukit Mertajam, last night.

“I knew that he would be a tough player to beat after watching how he tamed Chunlai in the semi-finals. He has been playing some amazing badminton here but I am happy I ended his fairy-tale run here.

“I beat him easily before (at last year’s Swiss Open) but this time, he certainly showed more maturity.”

The unseeded Tago took command of the opening game, dictating the pace with his tight netplay and punishing smashes to lead 11-7 and 13-7.

It took great effort from Chong Wei to get back into the picture but once he got the momentum going, it all fell into place for the Malaysian. He levelled the score at 15-15 and raced to a 21-19 win.

In the second game, Chong Wei took charge and fended off brilliantly the challenge from the chasing Tago to romp home to the title.

Chong Wei hoped that the win would be the start of many more major successes.

“I will not be satisfied with only the All-England title. There are several more major tournaments this year and I hope to do well – in the Thomas Cup Finals, world championships and the Asian Games. The Thomas Cup will be my next immediate goal.”

Chong Wei said that he would skip the Swiss Open in Basel next week and prepare for the Finals, which will be held at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil from May 9-16.

The 21-year-old Tago took the defeat with mixed feelings.

“I am happy I gave him a good fight but it is still disappointing to lose after coming this far. Chong Wei was just too fast and I hope to catch up with him one day. This outing here has given me a lot of confidence,” he said.

FINAL RESULTS

Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Kenichi Tago (Jpn) 21-19, 21-19.

Women’s singles: Tine Rasmussen (Den) bt Wang Yihan (Chn) 21-14, 18-21, 21-19.

Women’s doubles: Du Jing-Yu Yang (Chn) bt Cheng Shu-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) 20-22, 21-16, 21-13.

Mixed doubles: Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (Chn) bt Nova Widianto-Lilyana Natsir (Ina) 21-18, 23-25, 21-18.