French Open winner Lee Chong Wei (right) posing for a picture with runner-up Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan after the prize giving ceremony on Sunday. - EPA
PETALING JAYA: The wait is over.
Lee Chong Wei ended his 16-month BWF Superseries title drought by defeating Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-13, 21-18 in the final of the French Open in Paris.
It was Chong Wei’s third French Open title – and his third for the season as well.
He had also won the back-to-back US Open and Canada Open in June.The win on Sunday was also the 33-year-old’s first major triumph since winning the Japan Open last June.
The victory should put to rest talk of Chong Wei being past his prime.
World No. 19 Chong Wei had been struggling to regain his old form after serving an eight-month doping ban in May.
His match against world No. 5 and defending champion Tien-chen wasn’t all plain sailing.
Tien-chen, after all, had made the semi-finals in the Japan Open, Korean Open and Denmark Open – the three tournaments which saw Chong Wei making early exits.
After comfortably wrapping up the opening game, Chong Wei picked up from where he left off by racing to a 12-1 lead – and then to 18-7 in the second game.
Just when it looked like Chong Wei would breeze his way past an opponent he has never played against before, the 25-year-old Tien-chen came alive.
Tien-chen claimed five straight points to narrow the score at 12-19, and then 18-19 but any hopes of a remarkable comeback failed to materialise.
Chong Wei won the next two points to pick up his 39th Superseries crown from his 56th final outing.
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