Lee Chong Wei beat Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen in a hard-fought final to win the Indonesia Open Sunday, raising hopes the Malaysian badminton ace may be on course for Olympic victory.
World No 2 Lee battled back from one set down to defeat Jorgensen 17-21, 21-19, 21-17 in a thriller that was marked by a series of long rallies and dramatic smashes.
Fifth seed Jorgensen dominated in the early stages of the men’s singles final and appeared to be heading for victory as he took the lead in the second set.
But second seed Lee fought back doggedly, winning a series of tough rallies to cling on.
By the final stages of the third set, Lee was firmly in control, winning point after point as Jorgensen’s initial confidence faded.
Lee said he was “very happy” to win his sixth Indonesia Open title after the tough match, that lasted one hour and five minutes, but admitted he did not play well at the start.
“In the second game he was leading 19-17, I was preparing myself to lose,” he said.
Jorgensen said he was “very disappointed” at his loss in the tournament, which took place at the Istora Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
“I felt that I had the game in my hand and I think I should have won it,” he said.
The victory will be a boost for Lee as he heads to Rio this summer, where the 33-year-old will again try to win Olympic gold.
At the last two Olympics, Lee has lost in the final to his arch-rival, China’s Lin Dan.
In another boost for the Malaysian, Lin was knocked out of the Indonesia Open earlier in the week, losing in a shock defeat to unseeded Indonesian Jonatan Christie.
Top seed Chen Long of China withdrew, blaming an injury.
Despite his loss in the final, Jorgensen’s impressive performance will be a boost for the Danes, coming hot on the heels of their maiden Thomas Cup victory last month.
Jorgensen said the performance “gives me confidence” going into the Olympics, and added: “I think I have shown today that I’m very dangerous.”
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
UPI facts
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The biog
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
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