Lee captures record 10th Malaysian crown
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, January 20, 2014
Lee Chong Wei took a record 10th Malaysian Open title yesterday to strengthen his dominance of the badminton world rankings, but said he was unsure whether he would make it to the Olympics.
The Malaysian ace won his match against determined fourth seed Tommy Sugiarto 21-19, 21-9, after beating him in their eight previous meetings.
Underdog Sugiarto put up a fight, leading all the way before Lee edged ahead at 20-19 and sealed the first game. Lee then cruised to the title with a 21-9 scoreline in the second game, earning him US$37,500.
The Malaysian superstar is unbeaten at the tournament since 2008, the same year he began an almost uninterrupted reign at the top of the world rankings.
Lee, 31, said that sealing the title took "a weight off his shoulders," but cast doubt on any hopes for the Olympics in 2016. "I am not sure if I will try to play until the Rio Olympics," he said, adding that he may even quit at the end of the year if his fitness faltered.
Lee said he would focus on the Asian and Commonwealth Games this year before thinking about making the trip to the Brazil Olympic Games.
He was joined in the winners' circle by countrymen Goh V Shem and Lim Khim Wah, who captured their first ever Superseries Premier title by beating Chinese men's pair Chai Biao-Hong Wei 21-19, 21-18.
China's Olympic champion Li Xuerui continued her love affair with Malaysia by winning her second consecutive tournament in Kuala Lumpur.
A month after taking the season-ending BWF World Superseries Finals, Li outfoxed a sluggish looking Wang Shixian to score a 21-16, 21-17 victory in the women's singles final.
Bao Yixin and Tang Jinhua continued their perfect record as a partnership when they won their seventh women's doubles title with a hard fought 21-19, 14-21, 21-13 victory over Japan's Misaki Matsutomo and Ayaka Takahashi.
Xu Chen and Ma Jin took the mixed doubles title, beating defending champions Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen 21-11, 17-21, 21-13.
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