KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 ― National badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei had to dig deep into his reserves to clinch a spot in the final of the All-England Badminton Championships in Birmingham yesterday.
The three-time All-England champion faced stiff competition from Chou Tien Chen of Taiwan in the semifinals before coming from a game down to book his ticket to the final.
Chong Wei lost the first game 10-21 but bounced back to take the second game 21-14 before wrapping up the third 21-9.
In the match telecast live on Astro Supersport, Chong Wei received strong support from Malaysians and local fans at the Barclaycard Arena.
With the win, the world number one maintained his unbeaten record against Chou after six meetings.
Chong Wei is now one step away from a fourth All-England title after having won in 2010, 2011 and 2014.
He awaits the winner of an All-Chinese affair between Chong Wei's arch rival Lin Dan and upcoming Chinese star Shi Yuqi in the other semifinal to be played Sunday morning Malaysian time.
Also in action later tonight are mixed doubles pair Chan Peng Soon/Goh Liu Ying who will take on Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino of Japan in the semi-finals. ― Bernama
