WORLD No. 1 Lee Chong Wei coolly marched into his fifth straight men’s singles final of the All-England – with a promise that he’s ready to nail his third title. Yesterday, the 30-year-old Chong Wei held back his punches but his calm and cautious approach was still good enough to knock out feisty Tanongsak Saensamboonsuk of Thailand 22-20, 21-8 in 33 minutes in the semi-final.
It was his seventh win over Tanongsak in as many meetings.
He will face second seed Chen Long of China in the final. Chen Long defeated Jan O Jorgensen of Denmark 21-19, 22-20 in the semis.
Two-time All-England champion Chong Wei was pleased that his game plan worked against the 23-year-old Tanongsak, who had made heads turn with his amazing run from the qualifying tournament.
“He thrives on fast-paced attacking game and I didn’t want to give him that pleasure ... I slowed it down,” said Chong Wei.
“I just kept close to him and, when the time was right, I pulled away. He is a player with promise, though.”
The match started with a subdued Chong Wei playing a cautious game – assessing what the left-handed Tanongsak had to offer.
And the Thai youngster, vowing to be the next Boonsak Ponsana, showed that he meant business when he dominated the baseline, slamming home winners at every opportunity and even playing cleverly at the net to reach 11-10.
But that probably was the only period that Tanongsak showed his superiority over Chong Wei.
While trying his best to subdue the Malaysian with his jumping smashes, it eventually wore him out and he lost 20-22.
In the second game, Chong Wei stepped up a gear – just enough to hold the Thai by the jugular – and the first-timer cracked.
He took advantage of Tanongsak’s inexperience en route to his 21-8 win.
Chong Wei does not plan to hold anything back in today’s final.
“I skipped the German Open and Swiss Open to give my unwavering focus to the All-England. I’m just one step away from doing it. Malaysians used to find it difficult to win here but, now, I want to win as many times as possible,” he said.
If Chong Wei wins, it will be also his third Super Series title of the year. He had won the Korean Open and Malaysian Open in January.
But 18-year-old Thai sensation Ratchanok Intanon made up for Tanongsak’s disappointment when she crushed Saina Nehwal’s dream of a first All-England title with a sensational 21-15, 21-19 win in 40 minutes.
It was, by far, Ratchanok’s most impressive achievement in her young career.
She’ll take on the Tine Baun of Denmark in the final. The Dane beat Sung Ji-hyun of South Korea 24-22, 19-21, 21-19 in the semis
The Star
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