Chen Long upsets top seed to clinch second consecutive World Superseries title

China’s Chen Long upset Lee Chong Wei (below), to win his second consecutive OSIM BWF World Superseries crown when he beat the top seed in three games at the Yonex Open Japan on Sunday.

China were the big winners once again, grabbing four of the five titles and producing surprise winners in the women’s doubles for the second straight week.
Last Sunday, it was world junior champions Huan Xia-Tang Jinhua who upset the odds to win the Li Ning China Masters while on Sunday it was Bao Yixin-Zhong Qianxin who triumphed in Tokyo.
Joining them in the winners’ circle were world champions Wang Yihan (women’s singles) and Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (men’s doubles), who clinched their first titles since winning the gold medal at the London World Championships last month.
Taipei’s Chen Hung Ling-Cheng Wen Hsing were the only non-Chinese winners, stopping Denmark’s Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen in three games in the mixed doubles final.
But it was Chen Long’s stunning defeat of Chong Wei which will bring in the headlines, as it was the 22-year-old’s first victory over the Malaysian since beating him at the India Open in 2009 when Chong Wei was stricken by food poisoning.
Since then, the world No. 1 has beaten Chen Long on four separate occasions and many had expected him to collect his seventh title of the year after wins in the Super Series Masters Finals in Taiwan, Malaysia Open, All-England, India Open, Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold and Indonesia Open.
But the Chinese ace, who received a walkover in the semi-finals as world champion Lin Dan couldn’t play after the skin on his left foot came off after a tough match against Chen Jin in Friday’s quarter-finals, had other ideas.
He dominated the first game with some stunning smashes to win it 21-8 only to see Chong Wei hit back to take the second game 21-10.
The decider could have gone either way but it was Chen Long who held his nerve, coming back from 19-18 down to win 21-19 to win back-to-back OSIM BWF World Superseries titles for the first time in his career.
“It’s exciting. I didn’t think about anything during the match. I’m younger and he is strong. I was just lucky to win,” Chen Long told the media after winning his first Yonex Open Japan title.

Wang Yihan (above), meanwhile, outplayed Germany’s Juliane Schenk, who was playing in her first Superseries final.
The eighth seeded European, who upset second seed Wang Shixian of China in the quarter-finals and fourth seed Indian Saina Nehwal in the semis, ran out of steam in the title decider to lose 21-16, 21-14.
In the men’s doubles, Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng used their vast experience to defeat Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan-Bona Septano (right),  in straight games.
The Indonesians were chasing their first Superseries crown but found the world champions too hot to handle and fell 21-13, 23-21.
For full results, click here.  
Results
Men
Singles: Chen Long (China) bt Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) 21-8, 10-21, 21-19.
Doubles: Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (China) bt Mohammad Ahsan-Bona Septano (Indonesia) 21-13, 23-21.
Women
Singles: Wang Yihan (China) bt Juliane Schenk (Germany) 21-16, 21-14.
Doubles: Bao Yixin-Zhong Qianxin (China) bt Cheng Wen Hsing-Chien Yu Chin (Taipei) 13-21, 25-23, 21-12.
Mixed doubles
Chen Hung Ling-Cheng Wen Hsing (Taipei) bt Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Denmark) 21-19, 16-21, 21-15.