Lee out to win 12th M'sia Open after clinching fourth All England title
Published on: Wednesday, March 15, 2017
SEPANG: Four-time All England men's singles champion Datuk Lee Chong Wei hopes to add the Malaysian Open for the 12th time in his illustrious career."Winning the All England has given me a new inspiration to continue winning titles. My next mission is to win the Malaysia Open and India Open. My immediate target will be to defend the Malaysian Open for the 12th time," said the world number one after arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from London, here Tuesday.Chong Wei who beat China's Shi Yuqi in the All England men's singles final at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England said the All England was among tournaments on his priority list.ADVERTISEMENT Speaking of his ankle injury that had disrupted his preparations for the All England, Chong Wei said the injury has yet to heal completely and that it would take a long time to fully heal."To prepare for the Malaysia Open, I will follow the training programme set by my coach for two weeks," said Chong Wei who had won the All England title in 2011, 2012 and 2014.Chong Wei, 34, hopes he can maintain his momentum and avoid injuries to mount a serious challenge when the World Championships starts in Glasgow, Scotland in August."I have never won the World Championship and that has added pressure on me. I must overcome that pressure," he said. ADVERTISEMENT In KUALA LUMPUR, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will send a letter to the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and England Badminton Association to register their dissatisfaction over the quality of umpiring in the All England, especially in the mixed doubles final.BAM deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria said he agreed with the comments of Goh Liu Ying who partnered Chan Peng Soon, that a number of decisions and remarks by the umpire during their match against China's Lu Kai/Huang Yaqiong, lacked professionalism.
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"I was also not happy with the umpire who seemed overzealous and such umpires should not be officiating such a prestigious tournament like the All England. I have asked BAM technical director Morten Frost to send a letter to BWF and England BA."However, I hope our players will be better prepared to face such situations because their rhythm and play can be affected," he said, Tuesday.The Malaysian pair had won the first set 21-18 and were leading 17-16 in the second set when the umpire penalised a stroke by Peng Soon, claiming his racquet had touched the net although a review of the shot showed otherwise. The pair eventually lost 19-21, 16-21.Liu Ying was quoted in an English daily that her play was affected by the umpire's decision while Peng Soon too lost his rhythm. The umpire had also flashed a yellow card to Peng Soon for returning to the court a second late while requests for a change of the shuttlecock had also been denied by the umpire.Meanwhile, BAM president Tan Sri Al-Amin Abdul Majid said BAM was satisfied with the overall performance of the team.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"I am happy with the overall performance of the team, especially Datuk Lee Chong Wei's victory and the mixed doubles pair's runner-up spot. However, the performance of the men's doubles pair showed a little concern before they went into the tournament as the top seeds but lost in the quarterfinals," he said after welcoming the players at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang.Chong Wei's fourth All England victory equalled the feats of former greats Wong Peng Soon and Eddy B. Chong. – Bernama