Malaysian badminton star Lee suffers shock defeat
AFP | April 28, 2018
Lee Chong Wei, fresh from winning Commonwealth Games gold and reaching the end of one of badminton's great careers, lost to unseeded Momota.
Lee Chong Wei, 35. (AFP pic)
SHANGHAI: Lee Chong Wei suffered a shock defeat in the Asia Championships semi-finals on Saturday, the Malaysian great going down in straight sets to rising Japanese star Kento Momota.
The 35-year-old Lee, fresh from winning Commonwealth Games gold and reaching the end of one of badminton’s great careers, lost 21-19, 21-14 to the unseeded Momota.
The 23-year-old Momota will play China’s Rio 2016 Olympic champion Chen Long in Sunday’s final in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Chen, the third seed, was an emphatic 21-16, 21-18 winner over India’s unseeded HS Prannoy in the other semi-final.
In the women’s draw, top seed Tai Tzu-ying of Taiwan will play China’s Chen Yufei in the final.
Tai defeated India’s former world number one Saina Nehwal 27-25, 21-19 in a tight affair over 45 nervy minutes, ensuring a miserable day for India.
Home player Chen, the sixth seed, was a comfortable 21-12, 21-13 victor over the South Korean seventh seed Sung Ji-hyun in the other semi-final clash.
