Badminton: Lee Chong Wei storms into Japan Open final
Posted: 20 September 2008 1754 hrs

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TOKYO : World number one and defending champion Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia stormed into the Japan Open men's final here on Saturday.

The 25-year-old overwhelmed Joachim Persson of Denmark 21-6, 21-4 to set up a showdown with Indonesian Sony Dwi Kuncoro, whom Lee beat in the quarter-finals at the Beijing Olympics before losing in the final.

"I feel like I'm getting better and better after each match," Lee said after taming Persson in just 20 minutes, dazzling with spectacular smashes and clever placement shots.

"It was easy for me to fight Persson because I knew he didn't like slow shuttles," Lee said. He added Dwi Kuncoro is an attacking player and that "I need to be tight on my defence, including receives."

Persson, the European championship runner-up, blamed his defeat on cramp in his leg he felt when he stretched just before the match. "I couldn't move at all. I couldn't play my game."

Dwi Kuncoro, the world silver medallist, whipped Japan's 19-year-old Kenichi Tago 21-15, 21-16 to set up the date with Lee in what is the seventh leg of the 12-round Super Series world tour.

"I'm glad to have proven my potential by reaching the final after failing to produce a good result at the Olympics," said the 24-year-old Indonesian, who won bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"I have nothing to adjust for the final. I will just focus on what I do on the court."

In the women's semi-finals, Athens Olympic bronze medallist Zhou Mi, now playing for Hong Kong, beat top-seeded Lu Lan, a former mate at the Chinese national team, 9-21, 21-13, 21-13.

Zhou, 29, who won the Super Series event in South Korea in January, will play Chinese youngster Wang Yihan for the title.

Wang, 20, coasted to a 21-15, 21-18 semi-final win over defending champion and world number three Tine Rasmussen of Denmark in their first ever encounter.

"I strictly played my way and to the full of my capability," said Wang.

Zhou said she only remembered Wang as a much younger teammate in the Chinese national team. "She has proven to be much faster than I expected and more competent here. It will be a new challenge to me." - AFP/ms