Lee Chong Wei beat Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen in a hard-fought final to win the Indonesia Open yesterday, raising hopes the Malaysian badminton ace may be on course for Olympic victory.
World number two Lee battled back from one set down to defeat Jorgensen 17-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a thriller featuring a series of long rallies and dramatic smashes.
Fifth seed Jorgensen dominated in the early stages of the men’s singles final and appeared to be heading for victory as he took the lead in the second set. But second seed Lee fought back doggedly, winning a series of tough rallies to cling on.
By the final stages of the third set, Lee was firmly in control, winning point after point as Jorgensen’s initial confidence faded.
Lee said he was “very happy” to win his sixth Indonesia Open title after the tough match, that lasted one hour and five minutes, but admitted he did not play well at the start. “In the second game he was leading 19-17, I was preparing myself to lose,” he said.
Jorgensen said he was “very disappointed” at his loss. “I felt that I had the game in my hand and I think I should have won it,” he said.
The victory will be a boost for Lee as he heads to Rio this summer, where the 33-year-old will again try for Olympic gold. At the last two Olympics, Lee lost in the final to his arch-rival, China’s Lin Dan.
In another boost for the Malaysian, Lin was knocked out of the Indonesian Open earlier in the tournament, losing in a shock defeat to unseeded Indonesian Jonatan Christie.
Top seed Chen Long of China withdrew, blaming an injury. Despite his loss in the final, Jorgensen’s impressive performance will be a boost for the Danes, coming hot on the heels of their maiden Thomas Cup victory last month.
In the women’s singles finals, unseeded Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan beat fourth seed Wang Yihan of China 21-17, 21-8, capping a miserable badminton tournament for China. Chinese players were also beaten in the final of the women’s doubles and men’s doubles, although a Chinese pair won the mixed doubles.