Cheras: Malaysian badminton superstar made his Purple League season debut with Petaling BC on Saturday, partnering Olympic champion Zhao Yunlei at Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium in Cheras.
Playing in front of a packed house, Lee Chong Wei/Zhao Yunlei produced a dominant performance in the mixed doubles event to record a comfortable victory against Tan Wei Han/Terry Hee Yong Kai of Ampang Jaya BC 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 in 20 minutes.
“Not only was this my first match of the year, it was also my first match of in the 2016/2017 Purple League season. I’m excited and I’m very grateful for the enthusiastic support from the fans,” said Lee after the match.
Lee also revealed that he will be very selective about where and when he would play badminton this year.
“I’ll only be playing in four or five tournaments prior to this year’s World Championships, such as All England, Malaysia Open, China Open or Indonesia Open,” added Lee.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlei who is considered as the most successful mixed doubles player of all time, remained upbeat after her third Purple League match on Saturday.
“Although this was the first time pairing with Lee Chong Wei, we actually played exceptionally well. The 11-point system is quite fun, and I feel pretty good playing under this system,” said Zhao.
Despite Lee Chong Wei/Zhao Yunlei’s victory, Petaling BC suffered a 5-12 defeat to Ampang Jaya BC as Ampang BC only recorded one win in mixed doubles event through Lee/Zhao while fizzed out in 4 other categories.
