Singapore: Top seed Tanongsak Saemboonsuk of Thailand was taken to the distance by Chong Wei Feng of Malaysia, who fought back from a set down to create a thrilling climax to the men’s singles semi-finals. Chong Wei Feng gave everything he had to Tanongsak in the match as Wei Feng eventually claimed the victory with 13-21, 21-18, 21-15 on Monday.
“I have played Tanongsak before, thanks to Badminton Association of Malaysia’s (BAM) technical director Morten Frost Hansen for his advice after my first set loss,” said Wei Feng.
Watch Chong Wei Feng vs Tanongsak Saemboonsuk at video below:
Mohamad Abdul Arif who lost in the deciding game when Malaysia were beaten 3-2 by Indonesia in the team event, also faced a stubborn opponent in the men’s singles semi-finals before he pulled off a 22-20, 21-15 win against Singaporean shuttler Loh Kean Yew. Earlier, Loh Kean Yew considered himself as an underdog and said he has “nothing to lose” during the semi-finals.
Watch Arif vs Loh Kean Yew at video below:
“It’s a 50-50 between me and Wei Feng in the final. Morten Frost’s guidance was critical especially in the first set,” said Arif.
The last time Malaysia won a gold medal in the men’s singles was through Roslin Hashim at the 2001 SEA Games hosted by Malaysia.
