KOREA OPEN 2014 Finals – No 4th for Lee Chong Wei

Chen Long denied Lee Chong Wei a 4^th title, winning the Korea Open in his first finals appearance in Seoul.

By Don Hearn, Badzine Correspondent live in Seoul.  Photos: Yves Lacroix for Badmintonphoto (live)

Even without any Koreans on finals day, Seoul’s SK Handball Gymnasium boasted a crowd several thousand strong.  It was the first time in the Superseries era that Korean idol Lee Yong Dae did not feature in at least one final and yet the crowd that came showed they were just as open to enjoying some badminton as to simply watching Korean athletes prevail.

Unfortunately, the first two finals were long on skill but short on suspense as Lee Chong Wei went down tamely in his first game against first-time finalist Chen Long, then failed to maintain the 4-point lead he acquired midway through the second game and instead watched his Chinese challenger sail to a straight-game lead.

It was Chen’s fourth straight victory over the world #1, who has not prevailed in an encounter between the two new titans of the men’s singles game since the Olympic semi-final in London in 2012.

The 56 minutes on court took so much out of Chen Long that he refused to give more than a 23-second statement to the media following his win.  This was fortunate since the event organizers did not bother to provide adequate Chinese translation for an event that has featured an average of 5 Chinese finalists each year since it became a Superseries event.

“I am happy to win my first Korea Open.  I was glad to play in front of a crowd with many people from mainland China, and Taiwan and around Asia cheering loudly and I look forward to coming back to play in this event in the future,” said Chen.

In the first final, Bao Yixin and Tang Jinhua extended their unbeaten streak to six tournaments, a figure that includes 4 Superseries events.  They beat compatriots Luo Ying / Luo Yu in straight games.

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