PETALING JAYA: Lee Chong Wei and Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty lived up to their world No. 1 tags to reach the Indonesian Open finals of the men’s singles and women’s doubles events at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta yesterday.
But the country’s top men’s doubles pair of Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong crashed 21-18, 11-21, 15-21 to the China’s powerful combination of Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng.
Chong Wei overcame a gritty Chen Jin of China 21-15, 22-20 in 46 minutes to set up a dream final for the home fans.
Today, he will take on Taufik Hidayat, Indonesia’s most celebrated player with an impressive six Indonesian Open titles under his belt.
National singles chief coach Rashid Sidek expects the men’s singles final to be an evenly-contested affair.
“Chong Wei has regained his confidence and is showing better control of his game. Chen Jin gave a good fight but Chong Wei did not crack under pressure,” said Rashid in a telephone interview.
“The fans will swamp the stadium here (today) to root for Taufik. Chong Wei will have to handle the situation well. It could either make or break him.
“It will be a great achievement for Chong Wei to win the title for the second time under such circumstances.”
Chong Wei, who did the country proud when he won the Indonesian Open in 2007, skipped the tournament last year.
Eei Hui-Pei Tty, meanwhile, continued their gallant run to reach the final after a sensational 21-17, 21-17 win over Taiwan’s Cheng Wen-hsing-Chien Yu-hsin.
This is the first time that Eei Hui-Pei Tty have reached a final as the world’s number one ranked pair. Today, they will take on China’s Cheng Shu-Zhao Yunlie with the hope of making another breakthrough in the Indonesian Open by beating the pair for the first time.
On Friday, the Malaysian pair played superbly to beat South Korea’s top pair of Lee Hyo-jung-Lee Kyung-jung for the first time in seven years.
“They played fantastic badminton to get the better of them,” said national doubles coach Rosman Razak.
“I am really delighted to see Eei Hui-Pei Tty come this far. They are very confident of their game and are enjoying themselves. They are not putting undue pressure on themselves.
“It will be tough against the China pair but we are keeping our fingers crossed that the duo will be able to win their first Open title as the world number one.”
On Kien Keat-Boon Heong’s defeat, Rosman said: “Koo’s net play let him down today. It could have been a perfect day for Malaysia if our top pair had better control at the front during the decider. It is unfortunate that they lost.”
SEMI-FINAL RESULTS
Men’s singles: Lee Chong Wei (Mas) bt Chen Jin (Chn) 21-15, 22-20; Taufik Hidayat (Ina) bt Sony Dwi Kuncoro (Ina) 21-17, 21-14.
Men’s doubles: Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn) bt Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas) 18-21, 21-11, 21-15; Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung (Kor) bt Markis Kido-Hendra Setiawan (Ina) 21-19, 21-17.
Women’s singles: Wang Lin (Chn) bt Xie Xingfang (Chn) 21-19, 21-13; Saina Nehwal (Ind) bt Lu Lan (Chn) 25-23, 21-19.
Women’s doubles: Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty (Mas) bt Cheng Wen-hsing -Chien Yu-hsin (Tpe) 21-17, 21-17; Cheng Shu-Zhao Yunlie (Chn) bt Ha Jung-eun-Kim Min-jung (Kor) 21-13, 21-12.
Mixed doubles: Lee Yong-dae-Lee Hyo-jung (Kor) bt Joachim Fischer Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den) 21-13, 21-13; Zheng Bo-Ma Jin (Chn) bt Thomas Laybourn-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den) 18-21, 21-17, 21-11.
