Denmark Open: World No 1 overcomes Pengyu for title as top pair falter

Lee Chong Wei beat China’s Du Pengyu 15-21, 21-12, 21-19 at the Denmark Open in Odense yesterday.

LEE Chong Wei proved he is a player for all seasons as he came out tops in the Denmark Open but a tired looking men's pair Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong had nothing to celebrate as another golden opportunity slipped by in Odense last night.
Chong Wei wasn't at his best physically but his quality and confidence helped him to secure a 15-21, 21-12, 21-19 win over Du Pengyu of China for his second premier super series title of the year in 71 minutes.
Pengyu fought valiantly and threatened to inflict on Chong Wei a rare defeat but the Malaysian remained calm and won the close battle to make up for Kien Keat-Boon Heong's fumble in the men's doubles.
Chong Wei was delighted to be able to celebrate his 30th birthday with the Denmark Open title yesterday.
"It was a tough match, but I won and it's on my birthday and I am very happy," said Chong Wei.

"I made it tough for myself, my movement was slow and my smashes did not have power. But after this, I will take a break, won't play in France and China and hope to come back stronger."
Meanwhile, Kien Keat-Boon Heong's exhausted faces said it all as they lacked the physical strength to complete the final lap, allowing South Korea's new combination Shin Baek Cheol-Yoo Yeon Seong to snatch a 19-21, 21-11, 21-19 win in 66 minutes.
The defeat left the Malaysian No 1 pair still searching for their first super series title in 33 months. The Malaysia Open crown in January 2010 was Kien Keat-Boon Heong's last notable success, and they have only managed to seal victories in lesser known grand prix gold events since then.
Kien Keat-Boon Heong gave a creditable show in the Denmark Open, including victories over top Korean combination Ko Sung Hyun-Lee Yong Dae in the first round and World No 2 Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen of Denmark in the last four.
However, Kien Keat-Boon Heong's lack of fitness was exploited by Baek Cheol-Yeon Seong who sealed victory in their first tournament together, leaving the Malaysians licking their wounds.
Boon Heong was so frustrated when he sent a drop into the net when the score was 19-19 in the deciding game that he hurled his racquet to the ground, and was shown a yellow card by the umpire.
"I made a mistake at 19-19 and that cost us dearly. I was trying to play it safe instead of going for a full smash. But we will try harder in the French Open," said Boon Heong.
Kien Keat remained positive despite the defeat and wants to maintain their momentum in the French Open which begins in Paris tomorrow.
"We are very tired but overall, I believe we played well in this tournament and we want to carry on the momentum to France. The performance here will only serve to inspire us. It has been a hard week as we had doubled our efforts to stay focused in the tournament as we were not fully prepared," said Kien Keat.
RESULTS -- (All Finals) Men's Singles: Lee Chong Wei bt Du Pengyu (Chn) 15-21, 21-12, 21-19; Doubles: Shin Baek Cheol-Yoo Yeon Seong (Kor) bt Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong 19-21, 21-11, 21-19.
Women's Singles: Saina Nehwal (Ind) bt Juliane Schenk (Ger) 21-17, 21-8; Doubles: Ma Jin-Tang Jinhua (Chn) bt Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn) 21-8, 21-12.
Mixed Doubles: Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn) bt Ahmad Tantowi-Liliyana Natsir (Ina) 23-21 24-26 21-11.
Courtesy of New Straits Times