Chen Long joins the greats

Chen Long joined an elite bunch of shuttlers to win three consecutive OSIM BWF World Superseries crowns when he triumphed at the US$400,000 Yonex Denmark Open on Sunday.

The Chinese ace (right), who is in the form of his life at the moment, grabbed his first ever Superseries Premier title when he defeated world No. 1 Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia 21-15, 21-18 at the Odense Sports Park
By winning his third consecutive OSIM BWF World Superseries crown, Chen Long now joins compatriots Zheng Bo, Gao Ling, Cai Yun, Fu Haifeng, Ma Jin and Yu Yang, South Korea’s Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae, Indonesia’s Sony Dwi Kuncoro and Chong Wei as the only players to win three Superseries titles on the trot.
A down-to-earth Chen Long, who won back-to-back titles in China and Japan last month, said: “This is just a normal tournament for me. I do my best in each match. It was great (playing in Denmark) and the fans were really enthusiastic.”
The world No. 3 has also outshone four-time world champion Lin Dan, who has only once recorded back-to-back Superseries titles – at the 2007 Korea Open and All England.
In Sunday’s final, Chen Long was determined to prove to the world his victory over Chong Wei in last month’s Japan Open was no fluke.
Chen Long controlled the tempo of the match and never allowed his opponent the time and space to launch many attacks. His victory sent a message to the world that he has indeed broken the Chong Wei-Lin Dan stranglehold and he should now be the player to watch.
His 49-minute victory on Sunday meant Chen Long has narrowed the gap on Chong Wei to 4-3 and closes the gap at the top of the world rankings.
For full results, click here.
Results
Men
Singles: Chen Long (China) bt Lee Chong Wei 21-15, 21-18.
Doubles: Jung Jae Sung-Lee Yong Dae (Korea) bt Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (China) 21-16, 21-17.
Women
Singles: Wang Xin (China) bt Wang Yihan 21-14, 23-21.
Doubles: Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (China) bt Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (China) 22-20, 21-16.                   
Mixed doubles: Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Denmark) bt Xu Chen-Ma Jin (China) 22-20, 21-16