Lee Chong Wei vs Chen Long: Yonex Japan Open 2011 Men Singles Finals Post Match Analysis & Comments
Tournament: Yonex Japan Open 2011 Final (Super Series)
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Date: 25 September 2011
Category: Men Singles
Chen Long proceeded to the finals of this Yonex Japan Open 2011 after Lin Dan walked over in the semi finals, allowing Chen Long to proceed to the finals to face Chong Wei.
The match went in favour of Chen Long, allowing him to win this Super Series title against Lee Chong Wei in 3 games. The score was 21-8, 10-21, 21-19.
Lee Chong Wei’s defeat in this tournament gave rise to the fact that Chen Long has become the only person except for Lin Dan, to beat the world no.1 in 2011. This was the first tournament in 2011 where Lee Chong Wei lost to a ‘non-Lin Dan’ player.
What happened?
I think the reason why Chong Wei performed poorly in this match was because he was expecting to meet Lin Dan in the finals of this Yonex Japan Open 2011. The fact that Lin Dan walked over in the semi finals and refused to face Chong Wei might have affected the Malaysian’s mental attitude.
Was Chong Wei Unprepared?
The way I interpret this is that Chong Wei was prepared to face the ultimate player Lin Dan but was shocked to see Lin Dan refusing the proceed to the finals.
Chong Wei might have overlooked the fact that Chen Long was also a strong player. Chen Long’s performance truly shocked most badminton fans. It shocked me too! I expected the Malaysian to win this.
Chong Wei struggled to find his form at the start of the game. There were a couple of misjudgements and wide smashes which cost him a few points.
Remarkably, Chen Long was able to keep up with Chong Wei’s pace. When Chong Wei increased his pace, Chen Long kept up.
During this match, there were slightly more badminton drives.
Unexpectedly, Chen Long could drive shots really well and was able to play at a quick pace.
It seemed that Chen Long stood a high chance to win rallies against Chong Wei when both of them were driving shots at each other.
Despite the lost form from the world no.1, Chong Wei’s defence has always been solid.
The interesting part in this match was to see how Chen Long’s attacks pierced through Chong Wei’s solid defence. He withstood the pressure and kept firing deadly shots at Chong Wei.
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