Lee Chong Wei reclaims badminton World Number 1 spot at Indonesia Open
The Indonesia Open has proven very successful for Malaysia’s Lee Chong Wei, who is set to retake the position as the world’s number one badminton player, a title he previously held between the years 2006 – 2014.
The new world ranking list will be released on Thursday, where Chong Wei is set to replace China’s Chen Long after claiming his spot in the Indonesia Open men’s singles final.
After falling to number 182 on the world rankings because of a doping scandal in 2014, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) secretary Ng Chin Chai was reported by The Star saying, “It is quite an achievement for Chong Wei to be back as the No. 1. He has put in a lot of hard work and it’s well deserved.”
On Sunday, Lee Chong Wei won the Indonesia Open title against Denmark’s Jan O Jorgensen. The score in the final was 17-21, 21-19, 21-17, which thrilled the crowds.
As reported to The Star, Chong Wei’s coach Hendrawan said, “The Indonesia Open final was one of Chong Wei’s toughest matches because Jorgensen was at his very best … he was attacking the net and he was also solid in defence.”
With the win, Lee Chong Wei becomes the first non-Indonesian Badminton player to win the title for a sixth time.
Before the 33-year-old heads to Rio this year, Chong Wei will take part in the Australian Open, which is a six-day competition commencing today in Sydney. In the first round, he faces Indonesia’s 18 year old Jonatan Christie, who knocked out Chong Wei’s long-time rival Lin Dan from China in a shock win during the Indonesia Open.
Watch the Indonesia Open final below (the final point begins at 1:03:37):
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